


Þrúðr And Her Jötunn Uncle

by glowydean



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Babies, Confusion, Cute, Exile, Falling In Love, Funny, Humor, Loki with a baby!, M/M, Manhattan, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/511046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowydean/pseuds/glowydean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Recently divorced Thor must set off to Asgard as per his father's wish.  He is unable to take his young daughter, Pru, along with him, so he turns to his exiled brother, Professor of Norse Mythology, Loki, for help.  Loki then enlists Captain Steve Rogers, to help with the changing of poopy diapers and other baby related things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Proposition

"I'm sorry, you need me to what?" Loki asked.

Thor grinned sheepishly at his brother and ran his fingers through his hair. "I need you to look after Pru for a couple days. Just for a couple days, there are some things I need to take care of on Asgard, father requires my presence."

"So why don't you leave the little bundle of joy with her mother?"

"Because Jane and I take turns, and this is my turn," Thor said.

"Will she not object to me looking after her offspring? Can't she make an exception this one time?"

"Jane is in New Mexico, I am in New York. I only get Pru during the summer. I can't send her back there, her mother will not let her come back to me when I return."

"Why not just take her to Asgard? I don't see why I should have to take care of her."

"You're her uncle and you hardly spend time with her as it is!" Thor said.

"Because I'm not good with children, in case you haven't noticed. I'm not good with people on the whole," he said.

"Brother, look, I did my best to get you out of a horrible sentence at Asgard…"

"Oh boy, here we go, rub it in my face will you? I'm living on this horrible planet with no powers," he said miserably.

"Yes, but you are a man of stature," Thor said proudly.

"Thor I am just a lowly professor. These men have no power. Instead I am forced to answer stupid questions all day. Do you know how annoying these college students here are? I mean seriously, they fall asleep in my class and then expect me to –"

"Brother please, I cannot take Pru with me. I know mother would love to see her but I know Jane would rip my eyeballs out as so often says if I take Pru to Asgard without her. She is very protective,"

"She doesn't sound very protective if she's willing to leave her child with me. Or perhaps she does not know…" Loki said.

"I mentioned to her that I would get a sitter, and where else would be more ideal for Pru if not with you? You are an Asgardian, you are her uncle, and your home is covered in magic enchantments so she will not hurt herself or get lost. Please brother, I really wouldn't ask if I really didn't need this," Thor pleaded.

"Why not leave her with the woman, Romanov, she's…a woman, she could probably take care of Pru," Loki suggested.

"She's an assassin. Pru is too young for that."

"And what am I? Her Jötunn uncle? How is that much better?" Loki asked.

"Because you are my brother. And despite the things you have done, I trust you. At least I trust the enchantments on your house. It will only be for a few days, please brother, I beg of you!"

Loki studied his brother's face. Thor was so stupidly optimistic sometimes he couldn't stand it. Did he really think Loki was capable of taking care of a child? Was he mad? And what in the name of Odin was he thinking not telling Jane about this arrangement. It all sounded very suspicious to him, very suspicious indeed. Loki formed a steeple with his long fingers and touched it to his chin. He brooded on the idea for a few more moments. He decided to make a pros and cons list and he started off with the very first con, con: there would be a child in his home. Yet another con: he would have to somehow make the child eat food and bathe her. One more con: he would have to pretend he enjoyed the company of children and listen to her run around and make a mess of his apartment. The more Loki thought about it, the less he wanted to do it.

"Think of how lovely it will be to have the patter of a child's feet on the ground, her laughter like butterflies, her smile is like the sunset…"

"Oh for Odin's sake Thor shut up. Fine I'll do it. Only a couple days. If you don't return I will put her on a plane to New Mexico," Loki threatened.

"Oh thank you brother. Thank you so much," Thor said. He reached over and pulled Loki into an uncomfortably tight embrace.

"Thor, Thor I cannot breathe," he said.

"Oh, sorry," he said. He pulled away from his brother.

"How does a big oaf like you take care of a little child?" Loki asked.

Thor grinned at him. "Oh, you haven't seen Pru in ages. She's…she's a lot of fun," Thor said nervously.

"What does that mean?" Loki asked.

"You'll see," Thor said. "I'm going to pick her up now, I left her with Rogers so I could talk to you."

"Why didn't you just leave her with Rogers?"

"Because I cannot just leave my child with him. You're my brother, you're supposed to do this stuff," he said.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered.

"I also told Rogers to stop by, perhaps he can help you if you feel overwhelmed," Thor suggested.

"You mean to make sure that I haven't killed her?" Loki asked with a smirk.

Thor laughed. "No, to make sure she hasn't killed you. I'll be back," Thor said. He slammed the door loudly and Loki winced.

"How many times do I have to tell him not to slam my door?" Loki wondered out loud. He looked around at his pristine apartment and pictured the little demon running around wrecking havoc. He suddenly regretted agreeing to watch her and quickly opened the door to call Thor. He looked down the hall and realized that Thor was already gone. He walked over to the window and saw Thor get in his car and drive off. Loki sighed.

The next couple days would be the longest days of his life.


	2. The Poopy Diaper

Thor rang Loki's buzzer and waited for the door to open. Steve stood behind him with Pru's things. He somehow managed to look very manly with the pink baby bag slung across his shoulder. He pulled along a little suitcase containing Pru's clothes and had the baby seat in the other hand. Thor held on tightly to his daughter. She had fallen asleep on the ride over to Loki's house and her head rested lightly on her father's large shoulder. She had inherited her father's blond hair but she had her mother's large, brown, inquisitive eyes. She was a stocky child, and her father often referred to her as his little dumpling. She had just celebrated her two-year birthday and Thor had gone to Asgard and had a bracelet made specially for her. The gold band shone brightly on her chubby wrist. He had been surprised that her mother had allowed her to keep it on.

Loki finally buzzed them in and Thor and Steve entered the building. They took the stairs up to the second floor and knocked on Loki's door. When Loki opened the door, he stepped aside and allowed Thor to enter. Steve came in behind him and attempted to smile at Loki. Loki scowled at he Captain and took the pink baby bag from him.

"Loki," Steve said.

Loki nodded in the Captain's direction. "Good to see you again, Captain," he said. He turned around and followed Thor into his bedroom where he had set the child down to sleep. Pru stuck her thumb into her mouth and began to suck on it gently. Thor smiled at her and looked stupidly proud.

"Let her sleep, come, let us go into the living room so I can tell you what you have to do," he whispered.

Loki set the baby bag down on the ground and exited the bedroom.

Steve had already made himself comfortable on the couch and was waiting for Thor and Loki.

Loki forced himself to be civil. "Would you care for some tea? Or perhaps coffee?" he asked.

"Some coffee would be nice," Steve said.

Loki nodded. "Give me a moment," he said. He left the two men in the living room and made his way into his kitchen.

Steve looked at Thor and lifted an eyebrow. "Thor, are you sure you wanna do this? I told you I have no problem looking after her, seriously. I enjoy spending time with her. He looks like he doesn't even want her here," Steve whispered.

"I know, but, when is he ever going to get a chance like this again to spend time with her? I want her to know him, yet every time I try to bring her round he disappears. I have to force him to get to know his own niece," Thor lamented.

"Look I'll be here everyday to make sure she's okay. You know you can count on me," Steve said.

Thor smiled at him. "Thank you, Steve. You are a good man," he said sincerely.

Steve felt himself blushing and he quickly looked away.

Loki emerged from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He handed Thor the one with milk and lots of sugar, and he handed Steve the cup with plain black coffee.

"You remembered!" Steve exclaimed.

"It's quite easy to remember someone who likes black coffee. I find it means they are quite unremarkable," Loki said.

Thor rolled his eyes. "Brother, that is uncalled for," he chided.

Loki sat across from them and folded his arms over his chest. "Okay, well, tell me what I have to do so I can do it and move on," he said.

"First you must apologize to Steve for what you have said," Thor said.

"Really? Fine, I'm sorry Steve for what I said. There, are you happy?" Loki said.

Thor smiled and nodded. "Yes. Okay. Pru drinks three bottles a day. She drinks one in the morning, one at lunchtime and one for dinner. She gets three scoops of milk and you have to fill the hot water up to the marked line on her bottle. Make sure it's not too hot or you'll burn her and then she'll kick you. You don't want her to kick you," Thor cautioned.

Steve laughed at this. "Yeah, seriously. She gave me a bruise."

"If she can bruise this super human what will she do to me?" Loki asked.

"You'll be fine. Now you must bath her in the morning and in the night. If she hot and sweaty during the day, you can give her a bath before she has her tea. Usually after her tea in the middle of the day, she'll take a short nap, a couple hours. Other than that, she'll sometimes want to play; sometimes she'll watch TV. What is the show that she likes?"

"Yo Gabba Gabba," Steve supplied.

"What the hell is Yo Gabba Gabba?" Loki asked.

"Her mother sent several DVD's so you can pop those in when she wants to watch it. I brought some of her toys, her bag has clothes, I also packed some snacks for her, some juice and some fruit." Thor said.

"Okay? Is that it?" Loki asked. He looked incredibly bored.

"Are you remembering all this stuff?" Steve asked.

"Of course. I'm not an idiot," Loki snapped.

Thor chugged down the rest of his coffee. "Alright, I really must go. Thank you, brother, you have no idea how much this means to me," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Loki said.

Thor turned to Steve and smiled at him. "Steve, I can never thank you enough for all that you do for me. You truly are a good man," he said.

"Don't mention it," Steve said.

"Alright, I'll leave you two to it," Thor stood up to leave when suddenly a little voice called out to him.

"Papa!" Pru said.

All three men turned in the direction of the voice. Pru stood in the living room clutching a teddy bear. Her eyes were still full of sleep and she looked up at her father with her large, brown eyes. "Papa going?" she asked.

Thor's expression softened and he walked over to Pru. He squatted to her level and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, papa is going. Only for two days, okay my love?" he said.

Pru made a face and then she nodded. "Papa kiss Brobee?" she said. She offered to him the green doll and Thor gave him a big kiss as well.

"You be good. You remember your uncle Loki?" he asked.

Loki made a face and waved at the little girl.

She shook her head. "No," she said.

Steve chuckled and Loki shot him a dirty look.

"Onco Steve," she said pointing towards the Captain.

"Uncle Steve will come to visit you, okay? Be a good girl, my little Asgardian dumpling," Thor said. He picked her up and spun her around and she giggled. "Don't give your uncle Loki too much trouble okay?" he said as he set her down on the ground.

She looked up at her father and smiled. "Okay papa," she said.

Thor smiled at her once more and then he went over to his brother and wrapped him in a warm embrace. "Take good care of her, Loki. If you hurt her, I'll kill you," he whispered into Loki's ear.

Loki nodded and pushed Thor away. "I believe you," he said sourly.

"Steve, I'll see you," Thor said.

"Be careful out there," Steve said as they shook hands.

"I will, bye my love," Thor said again to Pru.

"Bye papa!" she said again.

Thor winked at his baby girl and then left the three of them alone.

Steve walked over to Pru and picked her up. "Pru, you smell like you need a diaper change," he said. He walked over to Loki and grinned. "Uncle Loki, lesson number one, change her poopy diaper," he said. He handed the heavy child over to Loki and he grimaced.

"Can't you do it?" Loki asked.

"Nope. Not today," Steve said with a grin.

Loki growled and looked at his little niece. "Well come on you, let's go…change you or whatever," he said.

Pru studied Loki's face and then she frowned. "Bad Onco!" she said. She slapped Loki in the face and Steve burst out laughing.

This was going to be a very long two days indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Let me know!!


	3. The Torn Page

Loki stared uncertainly at the mess in Pru's diapers. Steve stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest. He had an amused expression on his face.

"There's so much, what do I do?" Loki asked.

"Use the wipes, clean her up, wrap up the diaper, and then put her new one on. This is really basic stuff, Loki," Steve explained.

"Well I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with dealing with...this stuff," Loki said. "I can't do this," he said.

Steve rolled his eyes and walked over to Loki. He gently pushed him aside and cooed at Pru. "Who's a good little girl?" he asked her. She laughed and giggled at him.

Loki watched in rapt silence as Steve cleaned up Pru and changed her diaper. He sprinkled a little bit of powder on her chubby legs and he strapped the diapers on. He then pushed up Pru's shirt and tickled her belly. Pru laughed and blushed as the captain tickled her. She shot a glance at her surly uncle and then stuck her tongue out at him. "Bad!" she said pointing at him. Before Steve could stop her, she grabbed the poopy diaper and threw it at her uncle.

Steve gasped out loud and did his best not to laugh.

The diaper had hit Loki squarely on the face and fell with a loud splat onto the ground. Loki closed his eyes and sighed. "Steve, there's shit on my face," he said calmly.

Steve grabbed some baby wipes and walked over to him. Loki was a head taller than Steve, and so he had to look up to him to clean the mess off his face. Steve blushed and smiled as he wiped Loki's face.

"This is humiliating," he said. "She should be punished!" Loki said shrilly.

Steve chuckled. "She's just a kid," he said. They both looked over at Pru. She was playing with her teddy bear on the bed and looked perfectly angelic. "Doesn't she remind you of someone?" Steve asked.

"No. I should get this cleaned up," he said.

Steve watched Loki as he left the room. He went over to Pru and scooped her up in his arms. "That was a bad thing you just did, Pru," he said gently. "But awesome," he whispered. Pru laughed and fell back onto the bed. "You mischievous little thing you," Steve said. "Come on, let me make you some tea," he said.

When Steve walked into the kitchen, he saw that Loki had put some water to boil on the stove. He also saw Pru's bottle had been filled with three scoops of milk, just as Thor had specified. Steve let Pru down and she ran off into the living room to explore. He mixed Pru's milk and then placed it under the running faucet to cool. He saw Loki enter the kitchen with the messy diaper in tow. He tossed it into the trashcan.

"I mixed her milk, she can feed herself, you just have to get her to sit down in one spot to drink it all," Steve said.

Loki leaned against the wall and studied Steve as he shook the bottle of milk beneath the water.

"How did you get so good at this?" he asked.

Steve shrugged. He tested the milk and then covered the bottle. "I'm a fast learner," he said. He handed Loki the bottle and smiled. "Here you go," he said.

Loki accepted the bottle and walked out of the kitchen. "Pru, where are you? Dinner!" Loki shouted.

"She's not a puppy, Loki. And she's right over there…what's that she's playing with?"

Loki's eyes widened and he ran towards her.

Pru was sitting on the ground. In front of her was a large tome, old, heavy and dusty looking. She waved a page around in the air and giggled.

Loki sank to his knees when he saw what she had done. "Do you know how expensive this book is?" he shouted.

Pru, not expecting her uncle to yell at her immediately began to wail. Her eyes filled with tears and she screamed loudly. She crumpled up the page in her fist and tossed it angrily toward Loki. The paper hit Loki on his forehead and he grabbed the book angrily. He slammed it shut and placed it high up on a bookshelf where Pru could not reach it.

"Hey, hey, you shouldn't yell at her like that, she didn't mean it!" Steve said. He brushed past Loki and grabbed the bottle of milk from Loki's hand. Steve bent over and picked up the wailing child. He cooed at her and rocked her back and forth until she stopped crying. Steve shot a nasty look at Loki and walked past him again. He walked over to Loki's bedroom and shut the door.

Loki looked down at the crumpled paper on the ground and he picked it up. He opened it and smoothed the page on the table. His heart ached when he saw the page the little girl had ripped out. He walked over to the shelf and slipped the sheet in between the pages of another large book. He then ran his fingers along the spines of the books on his shelves. He looked toward the bedroom door and with a reluctant sigh he made his way over to the bedroom.

He knocked the door lightly and then entered. He saw Steve sitting on his bed with Pru in his arms. She held her bottle in her hands and drank her milk, contentedly. She leaned back into Steve's strong chest and snuggled up to him.

Steve shot Loki a dirty look but did not say a word.

Loki closed the door quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. He wanted to laugh at how comfortable Steve looked on his bed. He was leaning against Loki's headboard and had his legs crossed Indian style.

"I'm going to take her with me," Steve said quietly.

"What? Why?" Loki asked.

"Because you don't know how to speak to her. It's not your fault. Thor was just…trying to be nice I guess," Steve said.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked.

"He just wants you to get to know her. He feels sad that she spends most of her time with her mother in New Mexico while she has family here in New York. But you wouldn't know that stuff. You're so wrapped up in your own self," Steve said.

"When I was younger, books were my refuge, my escape. I'm sorry I lost my temper but what she did was wrong."

"And that is why you correct her. You tell her what she did wrong and you tell her what she should have done. You teach her to apologize. She's also a child. She's inquisitive, and like her uncle, mischievous," Steve said. "I understand your books are important, but she's important too, and that's why I'm taking her home with me," Steve finished.

Loki observed the Captain as he held onto Pru. He felt something stir inside of him. Somehow, this boring, safe, predictable man had moved him, yet he was not sure why. Loki studied his large hands and how they held onto Pru tightly and protectively. He suddenly wanted to run his fingers down Steve's jaw line, just as he had touched his book spines. Then, Loki opened his mouth and said something completely unexpected:

"Why don't you just spend the night?"

Steve looked up at him, shocked. "Spend the night? Here? Why?" he asked.

Loki looked at the captain and thought of his jaw line again. "Don't you want to stay?" he asked.

Steve frowned. "I don't know."

Pru suddenly pushed the bottle out of her mouth and turned around to face Steve.

"Onco, Onco Steve, stay!" she said with a grin.

Steve smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. He looked over at Loki and rose an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll stay," he said. Steve then looked at Pru and smiled again. "Bath time!" he said.

Loki watched Steve as he lifted the heavy girl as though she were light as a feather. "Come on, Onco, it's bath time," Steve said. He placed the girl on his shoulders and walked out of the room. "Bring her soap and her towel!" Steve shouted.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Coming mummy," he muttered below his breath. He rummaged through Pru's things and located her towel and her soap. With a resigned sigh, he made his way out of the bedroom, wondering why the day was not yet over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope you're enjoying the fic! :D


	4. The Dancing Teddy Bear

After Pru had taken her bath, Steve left to grab some of his things from his apartment. "I'll be back in a little bit. I just need some things," he said. As he was on his way out, he stopped at the door. "Are you sure you just don't want me to take her with me?" he asked.

Loki glanced over at Pru who was sitting on the couch watching one of her DVD's. "No it's fine. You don't want to stay? Do you feel uncomfortable here?" Loki asked.

"No. I just…never mind. I'll be back," Steve said awkwardly.

Loki nodded and managed a small smile. "Alright," he said.

Steve closed the door gently and Loki couldn't help but smile; finally, a man who knew how to properly close a door. He peeked over at Pru who seemed to be hypnotized by the show. She had her odd little green doll next to her. Loki had to admit that Pru was a beautiful little girl, even though she was stocky. Her golden hair was tied back in a small ponytail and her eyes shone brightly. He noticed that when she smiled she had a little gap in her teeth. He walked over to the couch and plopped down next to her.

"Pru, what is that you've got there?" he asked.

Pru looked at him and then looked at her toy. "Brobee," she said.

"Can I see him?" he asked.

She quickly grabbed the toy and hugged it to her chest. "My Brobee!" she said.

"Oh, okay. I can make him dance for you, do you want to see?" he asked.

Pru regarded him suspiciously for a moment and then surprisingly, she handed the toy over to him.

Loki held the toy in his hands and closed his eyes. He muttered some words under his breath and then slowly blew a breath of air onto the toy. A faint green mist escaped from his lips and when it hit the toy, it began to move.

Pru watched in delight as her toy came alive before her. He danced and ran around on the ground and Pru giggled. She covered her mouth with her hands and she pressed up against her uncle, watching in wonder as her toy moved.

Loki grinned and looked at Pru. He smiled when he saw the look on her face. A few moments later, the toy bowed and then fell flat on his face. Pru clapped for him with her little pudgy hands. "Again!" she said.

Loki shook his head. "That's all I can do for now, Pru," he said.

"No more?" Pru asked.

Loki nodded. "No more," he said. Loki rose up and picked up the green toy. He handed it to Pru who hugged it and gave him a kiss. She then held it up to Loki expectantly and he stared at it for a moment before realizing that she wanted him to kiss the toy too. Loki hesitated and then he leaned forward and kissed the toy. This satisfied Pru and so she snuggled up next to her uncle and continued to watch her show. Loki studied his niece, and he realized that she looked just like Thor had looked as a child. Almost everything was the same except for the eyes. The eyes she had from her mother. Loki took her little chubby hand in his and marveled at how small and tiny her fingers were.

Pru yawned and Loki noticed that her eyelids had started to droop down. He kicked off his shoes, suddenly feeling very tired as well. He stretched his legs out on the couch and Pru climbed into the crook of his arm. She snuggled up to him and continued to watch the TV.

Loki could not believe that he was lying down on a couch with a baby in his arms. He held onto her, feeling something instinctive awaken in him. He had the odd desire to protect this little girl and to keep her safe. He could not understand why he was feeling this way, especially since he had only seen her a handful of times, and even on those occasions, he had hardly paid any attention to her. Then, there was the magic that he had been able to do for her. When he sat next to her, he had felt the humming in his hands, a small tingle that meant that his magic had been turned on, just slightly. Loki looked down at the mysterious little girl and her green doll that had somehow turned his power on.

Loki eventually drifted off to sleep, a few minutes after Pru had finally given in and closed her eyes as well. They both slept on the couch, Pru holding on to her toy, and Loki, holding on to Pru.

* * *

Steve walked up to Loki's building and inserted the key in the front door. He shifted the weight of his book bag on his shoulder and the plastic grocery bags in his hands rustled as he opened the door. He looked at the elevator for a moment and then decided on the stairs. He took them two at a time and within moments he was standing in front of Loki's door. A part of him couldn't believe he was actually about to have a sleep over with Loki, the God of Mischief. What was even more unbelievable was the fact that he was about to cook a God some dinner. While in Loki's kitchen, he had seen mostly tin cans of soup and boxes of mashed potatoes. He had grimaced, wondering why Loki would subject himself to such boring food.

When he pushed the door open, he saw that the TV was still on. The DVD had ended and the menu screen was on repeat. He closed the door quietly and walked over to the couch. He grinned when he saw Loki and Pru curled up together on the couch. He dropped his bag on the floor and headed over to the kitchen with the groceries.

Within minutes, Steve had started boiling water so he could make pasta. He broke the pasta in half and put them in the pot. He then turned to the chicken and began to wash, clean and season it. He washed some red potatoes and began to slice them so he could bake them with the chicken. Steve hummed to himself as he prepared the meal. He placed the chicken on a baking sheet along with the potatoes and covered it with foil. He then put the chicken in the oven to bake. While he worked on the meat sauce for the pasta, he heard a light cough behind him and he turned around. It was Loki. Steve smiled at Loki and then wiped his hands on a dishtowel.

"I hope you don't mind, I used your pots and pans," Steve said, gesturing to the stove.

Loki shrugged. "I hardly use them. I always think to myself, one day, I'll come home and cook myself a feast. And then I come home and I make myself some soup, and that's it," Loki said.

"You should cook. It helped me, a lot, when I…defrosted. It made sense, you know?" Steve said. He turned to the pot of pasta and stirred it.

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to feel sorry for me," Loki said.

"I'm not sorry for you. I'm spending the night, and I'm hungry, and I'm not in the mood for takeout," Steve said. He stirred the meat sauce and took some of it out in a wooden spoon. He walked over to Loki and offered the spoon to him. "Wanna taste?" he asked.

Loki looked at the spoon and found himself hesitating. What was he doing?

"Sure, why not?" he said. He leaned forward and allowed Steve to feed him the sauce. Loki was impressed. "That's good. I'm not sure if it's good because I haven't eaten a real meal in about two years, or if you're just a good cook."

Steve laughed. "Well, I'd like to think that I'm a good cook," he said. Steve turned back to the stove and continued to stir the sauce. "So what do you do, besides teach?" Steve asked.

"Well, I…I read. A lot," Loki said.

"That's it?" Steve asked.

"I hate this place. I hate this planet," Loki muttered. "I don't get how I tried to destroy this dirty city and they bring me back here as a punishment. I don't know what Thor was thinking," Loki said.

"Thor, was just trying to spare you from an even more gruesome fate," Steve said. He busied himself with straining the pasta in the sink.

"So what, I should be grateful for this?" Loki asked.

Steve turned to him and made a face. "Let me see, prison on Asgard, or teaching in New York. I'd take teaching in New York any day," Steve said. "Please tell me you have a wine opener," Steve said.

Loki walked over to a drawer and pulled it open. He sifted around for a moment and then pulled out a wine opener.

"So, Captain, how come you do not have a mate?" Loki asked.

Steve laughed. "Oh, I don't know. I had…there was someone that I cared about a long time ago," he said. He began to open a bottle of wine that was sitting on the counter top. "I hope you like red wine," he said.

Loki opened a cupboard and removed two glasses. He took the bottle from Steve and poured the red liquid into the clear glasses. "I read books and drink wine. I lose myself in thoughts of days gone by and wonder what my life will become," Loki said quietly as he sipped his wine.

"I felt like that at one point," Steve said.

"What changed?" Loki asked, genuinely interested.

"I don't know. I still feel like that that sometimes. Kind of lost. I thought I died, and instead I wake up in a completely different world. I guess, I kinda have to thank you for waking me up a bit," Steve said.

"Me? What in the world did I do?" Loki asked.

"Well you tried to destroy my planet. Aliens, you know, that whole thing."

"Ah yes, the Chiaturi. They were quite ugly weren't they?"

"So ugly. Aren't there more attractive armies out in space?" Steve joked.

"Oh, you don't even want to know," Loki said.

"How'd you get along with Pru? I saw you two were quite snuggled up there," Steve said with a small laugh.

"Ah yes. She's quite charming. She looks so much like Thor, when he was a child," Loki said fondly.

"The chicken should be done in another thirty minutes or so. Do you want to set the table? I can put Pru to sleep on your bed if that's okay," Steve said.

"Oh, I'll take her," Loki said.

Steve nodded at him and turned back to the stove. When Loki left the room, Steve rummaged through his cupboards for plates and utensils. The kitchen table was small and he set their places just like his mother had made him all those years ago. There was a small stack of books on the table, old looking books with odd-looking characters and runes on the covers. He carried the stack out to the living room and placed it on Loki's shelf. He saw a piece of very crumpled paper sticking out of a book and he carefully slipped it out. He realized that this was the piece of paper that Pru had ripped out of Loki's large book. He glanced over at the page and saw the heading at the top of the page: Jötunn.

"That is what I am," Loki said quietly.

Steve jumped and he attempted to place the paper back inside the book. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I was just putting those books away," Steve mumbled.

Loki walked over to him and gently took the page from his hands. He stared at it and then he crumpled it up again. "Have you set the table?" he asked.

Steve glanced at the ball of paper in Loki's hand and then he nodded. "Yeah, I did. More wine?" he asked.

Loki nodded. "Definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And for the lovely kudos! I haven't read many Steve/Loki fics and I don't even know how I decided that this would ultimately become a Steve/Loki fic, hahah. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)


	5. The Candlelight Dinner

Loki pressed play on his CD player and the soft sounds of a piano filled the small kitchen.

"You don't mind the music, do you?" Loki asked.

Steve shrugged and leaned forward to light the two candles that Loki had offered him moments ago.

"The music is fine. This is turning out to be quite a romantic dinner," he said with a laugh.

"I just thought it would make it a little nicer. Since I haven't eaten in—"

"In two years, I know," Steve, said. "Who is this?" he asked, gesturing to the radio.

"Ah, her name is Norah Jones. I found this disc on sale at a bargain store. She has quite a lovely voice. It's very relaxing," Loki said.

Steve nodded in agreement. "It's lovely. So you listen to Norah Jones and eat soup?" he asked.

"Usually. Sometimes I choose to shake things up as they say here with toast, jam, those types of things," Loki said.

Steve watched Loki as he cut the chicken and put a piece of it in his mouth. "Good?" he asked.

Loki closed his eyes and nodded and chewed. "Excellent, oh, what in the world have I been eating for the past two years?" he asked. He stuck his fork in the pasta and swirled it around.

Steve grinned and drank some more wine.

"So, do you like my brother?" Loki asked.

Steve stopped chewing and regarded Loki. "Well, yeah I like him. He's a good guy," he said.

Loki shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. I mean, are you attracted to him? Do you wish to mate with him?"

Steve choked on his wine. "What? No way, I don't mate with men. What are you talking about?" Steve asked. His face had turned very red.

"Oh. On Asgard it is a common practice. I am sorry if I have offended you," Loki said.

"It's not…it's just I didn't expect that," Steve said. He took a long sip of wine and then placed the glass back down on the table.

"I was just curious. You seem to have such a wonderful relationship with Pru, I only assumed that something was…happening," Loki said.

There was a very awkward moment and then Loki looked up at Steve. "So you've never been with another…man?" Loki asked.

Steve blushed harder. "No, I haven't," he said.

Loki's eyes twinkled mischievously. "And you're not the faintest bit…interested?" he asked.

"Can we talk about something else?" Steve asked.

"Am I making you nervous, Captain?" Loki asked.

Steve looked over and stared into Loki's green eyes. "A little, I'm not used to talking about these things. I'm not interested in men."

Loki made a face. "That is too bad. I don't see how it applies in this situation though," Loki said slyly.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked. He nervously poured himself another glass of wine and took several large gulps.

"I am no man, Captain," Loki said with a smirk. "I am a God. A being from another planet," Loki said.

"I…are you making a pass at me, Loki?" Steve asked.

"Would you like me to?" Loki asked.

"Not really, I'd just to have my dinner, without being sexually harassed," Steve said.

Loki chuckled. "I jest, Captain. You blush easily. I was just having a bit of fun," Loki said.

"I see that. You must have been…different, back home," Steve said.

"How so?" Loki asked.

"Well you seem a bit, tame, now."

"Well I am imprisoned, exiled. There is not much I can do," Loki said.

"But there is. There's a lot to be done. I felt lost for a really long time. I was angry and I allowed that anger to rule my life and it didn't feel good. I hate to sound like I'm preaching but I just feel like I'm staring at myself from a few years ago," Steve said. "Did you ever talk to anyone about it?"

"About what?"

"About everything. About the Tesseract, about all the things you did. The aliens?"

Loki put his fork down and took a sip of wine. "There is no one who will listen," Loki said.

"I'll listen," Steve said quietly.

Loki observed Steve for a few moments. "You're different from the others," Loki said, finally.

"What gave you that impression? The fact that I'm having a sleepover with you or the fact that I cooked you dinner?"

Loki laughed. "There's something, calming about you. I think that's why Pru likes you so much," he said.

"She likes you too," Steve said. "So, you're not really Thor's brother, biologically I mean," he asked.

"No. I was brought in from another planet. I don't really look like this, it's an illusion," he said.

"Doesn't it require magic to stay…on?" Steve asked.

"It does. The enchantments that were placed on my home also keep the glamour in place. It would be odd to walk around as a Jötunn in this world," he said.

Steve was starting to feel the wine warm him up from the inside. While waiting for the chicken to finish cook, they had drank two bottles of wine and they were now on their third.

"Can I see?" Steve asked quietly.

Loki looked up, and quickly masked the look of surprise on his face.

"What? Why?" Loki asked.

"Just…curious," Steve said echoing Loki's words from earlier.

Loki chuckled and drank some more wine. "It is not something I gladly show others. I was ashamed of it for a very long time," he admitted.

"Please?" Steve asked.

"I'll show you on one condition," Loki said softly.

"Which is?"

"I'll show you what I look like as a Jötunn, but you must kiss me."

Steve was taken aback. "Kiss you? Why?"

"It only seems like a fair trade," Loki said mischievously.

Steve looked at Loki and then shook his head. "I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to. I've never kissed a man," Steve said.

"I told you, I am no man," Loki said. He stood up from the table and walked over to the radio. He increased the volume by a few beats and then he turned back to Steve. "Just one kiss. It will be over before you even know it," Loki said.

Steve fiddled with the wine glass anxiously. He stared into Loki's eyes and then he shrugged. "Fine, just one kiss. I don't see the harm in it," he said.

Loki smiled. "You don't sound convinced, Captain, but I'll take it," he said. Loki extended his hand to Steve.

Steve stared at Loki's outstretched hand and reluctantly accepted it. He allowed Loki to pull him to his feet. Steve watched as Loki closed his eyes and whispered some words below his breath. He watched in awe as Loki's form shimmered in front of him. In the blink of an eye, Loki had gone from looking like a regular human being, to a blue skinned creature. Steve gasped when Loki opened his eyes and they were red in place of his emerald green ones.

"Am I as ugly as the Chiaturi?" Loki asked with a sad smile.

Steve shook his head. "No, Loki, you're…you're beautiful," he said. "Can I touch your skin?" he asked.

Loki nodded. He stared at Steve warily.

Steve reached up and gently touched Loki's cheek. His skin was cool to the touch, not warm like a human's face would feel. The skin was smooth as silk and Steve felt a chill run down his spine.

Loki closed his eyes as Steve's warm hand made contact with his face. His eyes shot open when he felt Steve's fingertips brush against his lips. Loki whispered again and he melted back into his normal form.

Steve pulled back, blushing and embarrassed at what had just happened.

"You owe me a kiss, Captain," Loki said.

Steve licked his lips and made a face. "I'll honor our agreement," he said in a hoarse voice.

Loki grinned and leaned forward slowly.

"Wait," Steve said, as Loki had gotten closer to him.

"What is it?" Loki asked.

"The other one, I want to kiss the other one," Steve said.

Loki looked confused. "I do not understand. You want to kiss the Jötunn?" Why?" he asked.

"Well I said I would kiss you. Not a version of you. The real you."

Loki frowned and then nodded. "As you wish," he said. Loki morphed back into his other form and Steve looked into his eyes.

Loki leaned forward and kissed Steve directly on the lips.

Steve leaned into the kiss and pressed his hands against Loki's chest. Loki's lips were as cold as ice but Steve did not break off the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Steve exhaled and looked up into Loki's eyes.

"How was it?" Loki asked.

Steve pondered for a moment and then he grinned. "Cold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter :D


	6. The Sofa Bed Confession

Steve stood in front of the mirror in Loki's bathroom and studied his reflection. His fingertips tingled when he brushed them against his lips and he suddenly could no longer bear to look at his reflection. He did not want to stare at the lips that had so eagerly molded themselves to the lips of the otherworldly creature that was now in the kitchen doing the dishes. Steve brought the image of Loki's true form into his mind. He had not been repulsed or scared by Loki's blue skin and red eyes. On the contrary, he had been drawn to it. Something about it had seemed sacred and powerful and oh so cold.

Steve looked around Loki's bathroom. It was decorated tastefully just like the rest of the apartment. Steve chuckled at Loki's penchant for green and he found himself being drawn to a green button up that had been carelessly tossed into the laundry hamper. Steve made sure the bathroom door was securely locked before he lifted the shirt from the hamper. The shirt smelled of some fancy, expensive cologne and the material was soft and smooth. He imagined Loki's body filling up the shirt and then he blushed. He threw the shirt back into the hamper and walked over to the shower.

Steve wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that he had just kissed a man, or as Loki had put it, a Jötunn. He allowed the hot water to beat on his skin and he rubbed a crick in his neck. He had always been attracted to dames, so he wasn't sure what this whole thing was about. Was he experimenting? Was he bored? Was something wrong with him? What kind of man kissed another man? He worked the soap up to a thick lather and rubbed it on his arms and on his chest. He soaped his face and when he closed his eyes he saw Loki's deep emerald ones staring at him. He tried to conjure up an image of Natasha; thinking perhaps she would drive the images of Loki out of his mind but immediately he knew it would be of no use. He found his mind wandering down different lanes, wondering what Loki's body would feel like pressed up against his with no clothes separating them. He wondered what it would feel like to lay next to Loki and fall asleep with him. Steve shook his head angrily, hoping that the movement would throw the disturbing thoughts out of his head. He knew that this behavior was deemed acceptable nowadays. He had seen men walking down the street holding each other's hands and kissing. He had seen women together too doing the same thing and no one seemed to bat an eyelash at the odd behavior. Steve was broken out of his reverie by a soft knocking on the door. He heard Loki's muffled voice through the door and he felt himself blushing again.

"Steve, is everything alright in there? Do you need a towel or anything?" Loki asked.

"No, I have one, thanks!" Steve said. Steve closed his eyes and prayed for Loki to walk away from the door. He heard Loki's footsteps pad away from the door and he let out the breath of air that he had been holding in. He washed off all the soap from his body and stood under the hot water for a few more moments. This was going to be an awkward sleepover.

Steve stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by a gentle breeze. The cool air felt good on his warm skin. His hair was still damp and he had put on a comfortable pair of lounge pants with a white tank. The material clung to his skin and he suddenly felt very aware of his body. He looked around and saw that the living room was empty. He walked over to the kitchen and saw that Loki had washed all of the dishes and he had blown out the candles. The leftovers had been packed away neatly in Tupperware containers and were sitting on the counter. Steve figured that Loki was in his room and walked over to the door, which had been left slightly ajar. He knocked lightly on the door.

"You can come in, I'm just getting some things," Loki said.

Steve pushed the door open and saw that Loki had put aside some sheets and was in the process of putting a pillowcase on a pillow. "The couch pulls out into a bed. I'll sleep there, and you can sleep here with Pru since she's more comfortable with you," he said.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch. You can sleep on the bed with her, I'm sure she won't mind," Steve said.

Loki and Steve both looked at Pru at the same time and they both laughed.

"It doesn't look like she wants to share, actually," Loki said with a rueful grin. Pru was sprawled out in the middle of the bed. They had placed two pillows on either side of her so she wouldn't roll off and fall onto the ground.

"You're right about that. Remember when I said she left me with a bruise? It was one night when I fell asleep next to her on the bed. She kicked me really hard," Steve said.

"So that's why you want the couch, huh? I don't blame you," Loki said.

"No of course not. I just didn't want to put you out. I'll stay with her in here, you can take the couch," Steve said.

"Well, there is an alternative to all of this," Loki said.

"And what will that be?"

"We could share the pull out bed if you like. It's big enough for the both of us. That is…if you're comfortable with that," Loki said slyly.

Steve felt himself becoming red in the face and he cleared his throat. "Oh, um, comfortable? Why wouldn't it be comfortable?" he stuttered.

Loki grinned at the obviously flustered Captain. He took this moment to step a little bit closer to Steve. "Well, you  _did_ kiss me earlier," he purred.

Steve stepped back. "I know, but that was just…"

"Was just what? Are you frightened of little old me?" Loki teased.

"Of course not," Steve said.

"Well then, I don't see what the issue is here."

"There is no issue," Steve said.

"So you'll sleep with me?"

Steve's eyes grew as wide as saucers. His face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet and he shook his head. " _What_?" he asked, incredulously.

"You'll sleep with me on the bed?" Loki asked. "My, my Captain. Your mind is in the gutter," Loki said with a knowing smile. He turned around and picked up the sheets. He handed them to Steve who was still clearly embarrassed.

"I'll just go put these on the bed," Steve said.

"You still didn't give me an answer," Loki said.

"Oh, yeah, sure, I guess, I don't see any harm in it," Steve said.

"You don't see the harm in many things," Loki said.

Steve suddenly felt a little bolder and lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well maybe you don't give me enough credit," he said.

"Are you flirting with me, Mr. Rogers?" Loki asked.

Steve shrugged. "Is it a problem if I am?" he asked.

Loki laughed softly. "Not at all," he said.

"Well I'm not. So don't get too excited," he said with a smirk. Steve left the bedroom before Loki could say another word. Steve could feel Loki's eyes on his back and he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

Moments later, Loki padded out into the living room with several pillows in his arms. He put them down and helped Steve adjust the bed. They worked together in silence and made the bed. Loki threw the pillows down and then he plopped down onto the bed. He closed his eyes and placed his hands beneath his head. "So, how did you and my brother become so close?" Loki asked.

Steve cautiously lowered himself onto the bed and sat on the edge. "We train together. I teach him how to box and he teaches me how to fight with a sword," Steve said.

"Have you ever tried to lift Mjolnir?" Loki asked.

"I tried once. It doesn't respond to me at all," Steve said.

"Oh I'm sure if you play with it a little bit it will respond," Loki said.

Steve fumed when he realized what Loki had said. "What is wrong with you? That's your brother," Steve said.

"So?" Loki asked.

Steve shook his head and stretched his legs out on the bed. He placed his head on the pillow and glanced at Loki out of the corner of his eye.

"Pru turned my magic on," Loki suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Steve asked.

"I don't know, I was with her and then…I just felt my magic in my hands. It wasn't much but it was something," Loki said.

Steve sat up and stared at Loki. "But your magic is supposed to be off, all the time. That's part of your punishment," Steve said.

"Aren't you a sharp one," Loki retorted.

"I should get her out of here. Your magic should not be…on," Steve said. He started to get up when Loki reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"It was on for about ten seconds. It's nothing to get yourself worked up over," he said. He did not release Steve's hand and Steve made no moves to pull away from the fallen God.

"Yes but, that was ten seconds but what happens tomorrow? What if it comes back on completely?" Steve asked.

Loki pouted and pulled Steve closer to him. "Are you going to turn me in, Captain?" he whispered.

Steve felt his heart race as the space between him and Loki became smaller and smaller. Soon enough, their bodies were touching and he felt the familiar chill of Loki's cool skin. He stared into Loki's deep green eyes and felt as though he were staring into a pair of large emeralds.

"I don't know," Steve said while licking his lips. "Why did you tell me? Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?" he asked.

Loki smiled innocently. "There is something about you that begs for honesty, Captain," Loki said. "So, where does your moral compass point to?" Loki asked.

Steve felt as though he were drowning in a sea of green. After a moment of hesitation, he answered Loki's question by leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips.

Loki was surprised at first that Steve had kissed him. He still had not let go of the Captain's wrist and instead he pulled him closer to him.

When Steve broke the kiss he rolled away from Loki and stared up at the ceiling. What in the world was he getting himself into?

Loki turned on his side and studied Steve's jaw line. "Who taught you to kiss like that?" he asked.

Steve smiled and turned to face him. "I can't let Pru stay here, you know," he said.

Loki sighed. "I really should have kept my mouth shut," he said.

"If Thor finds out about this, hell if your father finds out, what do you think is gonna happen? I don't want you to get in trouble," Steve said.

Loki's expression softened. "Steve, I'm not a child, I can handle it. If you must take her, do so in the morning. Don't wake her now," Loki said.

Steve nodded. "In the morning, then," he said. "I need some air," Steve said getting up from the bed.

"The door to the terrace is over there," Loki said.

Steve quietly walked over to the glass door and opened it. He glanced at Loki once more, who had closed his eyes again, before stepping out into the cool air. He stared up into the sky at the faint outlines of the stars and he wondered what Thor was doing on Asgard. More importantly, he wondered how Pru had managed to turn Loki's powers on, even if it was just for a moment, and why Loki had chosen to tell him about it. Steve looked up at the sliver of moon in the sky and wished that some kind of answer would come to him but the moon remained silent, watching down on him from her lofty perch in the clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thank you for all of the lovely kudos. It's really greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!
> 
> This chapter was inspired by the new Tegan and Sara song, "Closer". Check it out! :)


	7. The Floating Dishes

When Loki woke up he felt something heavy on his chest. He opened his eyes and squinted at the sunlight pouring through the windows. He saw that his thick curtains had all been pulled back to allow the light to stream in. He also saw that his niece, Pru, was sitting on top of him. "Pru, Pru get off," he said hoarsely.

Pru laughed and rolled off her uncle. She crawled over to the edge of the bed and turned her attention back to the TV where one of her DVD's was playing.

Loki squinted again and swung his legs off the side of the bed. That was when he noticed a heavenly smell in his home. He followed his nose and found Steve in the kitchen pouring some kind of batter into a pan on the stove. Loki observed Steve for a few moments. His hair was wet from a shower and his clothes clung tightly to his lean body. When Steve finally noticed him he smiled and Loki felt his heart beat a little faster. How had he not seen before how dashing the Captain really was? He chuckled when he realized the answer.

"You know, your mask really doesn't do you justice," Loki said.

"Morning to you too," Steve said. He flipped the pancake in the pan and allowed it to cook.

"I apologize, where are my manners, good morning," Loki said with a smile.

"It's good to see a smile on your face," Steve said. He scooped the pancake out and dropped it onto a pile of pancakes that he had already made.

"I thought you were…leaving?" Loki asked.

"Do you want me to?" Steve asked as he poured some more batter into the pan.

Loki grinned. "Not really. Are you trying to make me fat, Captain?" Loki asked.

Steve shot him a dirty look. "Who said I was making breakfast for you?" he asked jokingly.

"Are you going to eat all of those by yourself?" Loki asked indicating to the large pile of pancakes.

"I have a big appetite. I have to eat a lot," Steve explained. "But I'm a nice guy so I'll share," he said.

"Well I'll just go take a quick shower," Loki said.

"Don't take too long, there might not be any left when you get back," Steve said.

Loki left the kitchen and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

When Loki came out of the shower, he found Steve sitting next to Pru in the kitchen. He had cut up a pancake for her in little bite sized pieces and had poured a little syrup on it for her. She picked up a piece of the pancake with her little fingers and held it out to Steve. Loki watched as Steve allowed Pru to feed him. She looked very proud of what she had done and observed the sticky syrup on her fingers. When she spotted her uncle she grinned at him and showed him her sticky hands.

"Where did you get all of these things?" Loki asked as he sat at the table. Steve had gotten some fruit as well as juice. There was a mug of coffee sitting on the table as well with sugar and milk already mixed in. Loki saw that Steve was drinking a cup of black coffee.

"Oh, Pru and I went to the supermarket early this morning," he said as he stuffed his face with a large bit of pancake. "I got some other things and stocked up your refrigerator."

"You didn't have to do that. I'll give you the money," Loki said.

"It's fine. Plus, if I'm gonna be here for the weekend, I need to eat, and I can't survive on the stuff you have in your cupboards," Steve said.

"So, you're staying then? What made you change your mind?" Loki asked. He reached over and put several pancakes on his plate and began to cut them.

Steve shrugged but did not meet Loki's gaze.

"I was thinking we could take Pru to the park, maybe? I mean, I can take her if you don't want to go," Steve said.

"Oh, I don't mind," Loki said as he picked up a strawberry.

Steve looked up at him, genuinely surprised. "Really?"

"Why do you look so surprised? I was a child once," Loki said.

Steve did not respond and continued to work on his food.

"Onco Steve! Berry!" Pru said.

Steve looked at her and shook his head. "Ask your uncle Loki, and say please," Steve chided.

Pru pouted but then looked up at her uncle. "Onco, berry, please?" she said.

Loki smiled at her and handed her a strawberry.

"What do you say?" Steve asked.

"Thanks!" she said loudly.

Steve and Loki laughed at the same time and watched as Pru bit into the strawberry. She had syrup on her hands and around her mouth now mixed in with bits of strawberry.

"Gods, she is so much like her father," Loki said.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Steve said.

They ate in silence for a few moments. "You opened up my curtains," Loki said.

"You need to let some sunlight in here," Steve said looking directly at him. "You need to let some light in somewhere," he said quietly.

Loki looked up at Steve and saw that he was looking at him. They stared into each other's eyes until Loki looked away. He looked down at his hands, which had started to tingle. He placed the fork down on the table and got up from his seat. He walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. He washed his hands in cold water and then dried them on a towel. When he turned around, Steve was standing in front of him with their plates. Loki stared into Steve's blue eyes and suddenly he felt very strange. He leaned over and pressed his lips against Steve's. Steve returned the kiss and the tingling in Loki's hands grew even stronger. When Steve pulled away he grinned up at Loki.

"You taste like blueberries," Steve murmured.

Loki extended his hand to take the dishes from Steve's hands. Steve's eyes widened as the plates floated out from his fingers as though they were being pulled by a magnet. The dishes landed in the sink with a gentle clink.

"Wow," Steve said quietly.

"Still want to stay, Captain?" Loki asked.

Steve took Loki's hands in his and observed them. He turned them over and observed Loki's long fingers. "How did you do that?" Steve asked.

Loki leaned over and put his lips next to Steve's ears.

"Magic," he whispered.

Steve, who still had not let go of Loki's hands, blushed at the touch of Loki's lips on his ear.

"Onco Steve!" shouted Pru.

Steve and Loki turned around at the sound of Pru's voice and they both gasped when they saw what she had done. Everything on the table was covered in a thick layer of syrup and she held the bottle in her small pudgy hands.

"How did you do all of this and we were standing right here?" Steve asked incredulously. He walked over to Pru and took the bottle away from her. She grinned up at him and he shook his head. "Oh no you're not going to pull the 'I'm cute' card on me today," Steve said heatedly.

Loki suddenly felt something bubble up in his chest and before he knew it he was laughing.

Steve turned around to look at him and when he saw him laughing he began to laugh too.

Loki laughed until there were tears in his eyes and he wiped them away with the back of his hands. "Why don't you clean her up and get her dressed for the park, I'll take care of this," he said.

Steve shook his head and lifted Pru from her seat. "Come on you little piggy," he said.

Loki watched as Steve and Pru exited the kitchen and felt a lightness in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time. He marveled at how strange his weekend was turning out to be. He started cleaning the table and spotted a blueberry on the plate of fruits. It was covered in the brown maple syrup but he plucked it up and popped it in his mouth with a smile. He did not care that Pru had messed up his kitchen. He didn't care that there were dishes to be washed and things to be cleaned. His kitchen was warm and smelled like blueberries and pancakes. He began to wash the dishes and did not even notice the small smile when it bloomed on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I felt like writing something cute and fluffy ;D 
> 
> Thanks for all the Kudos and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll be doing some brainstorming today as to how I can move this story forward instead of just writing cute moments with Loki and Steve, but I kinda just want them to slowly fall for each other, zomggg lol I don't even know. Anyway, now I'm hungry and would like some pancakes! 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think :) Thanks for reading!


	8. The Sketchbook

Steve sat on a park bench with his pencil and sketchbook in hand. His eyes darted back and forth from his once blank page, to the scene that was before him. Several feet away, Loki stood behind Pru and pushed her on a swing. Pru clutched onto the metal ropes for her dear life, but everyone could tell that she was enjoying the sensation. She screamed with delight as her uncle pushed her higher each time and Loki smiled. Steve's hands worked in small, deft strokes to capture Loki and Pru. He found that he had been able to sketch Pru effortlessly, as he had sketched her before, however Loki was proving to be more of a challenge. When Loki smiled or grinned, Steve loved how his eyes crinkled in the corners. Steve continued to sketch and shade his drawing until Pru was ready to come off the swing set. Steve watched in amusement as Loki pulled her out of the seat and pretended to drop her on the floor. Pru squealed as her uncle quickly lifted her up and then she wrapped her arms around his neck. Steve saw a flicker of surprise ripple across Loki's face and then he smiled again.

"She wants ice cream," Loki said to Steve.

He quickly closed his sketchbook and slipped it back into the small bag with some of Pru's things.

"Sounds good to me," Steve said.

"There's a place a couple blocks from here. It seems kid friendly, I always see it on my way to work," Loki said.

Pru began to fuss in Loki's arms and he set her down on the ground. She looked up at him and grabbed his hand. She then grabbed Steve's hand and pulled them forward. "Ice cream!" she said.

They both laughed and allowed Pru to pull them away from the park.

They made quite the sight walking down the tree-lined block: Steve on the left, Pru in the middle, and Loki on the right. Loki gripped his niece's chubby little hand tightly and looked down at her. She looked especially cute today since Steve had put her hair in two ponytails. As they walked, a young couple pushed a stroller with a baby inside. The two women were smiling and laughing about something. The woman who was not pushing the stroller had a small brown dog on a leash that trotted in front of them, leading the way. When Pru saw the dog she dropped Steve's hand and pointed at it.

"Puppy!" she said.

The two women stopped and beamed at Pru.

Steve smiled at them. "He's adorable," he said looking at the baby.

"Oh thank you. Your daughter is so cute, I can't even handle it," the woman said.

"Oh she's—" Steve stammered.

"Thank you," Loki said silkily. "Would you mind if she pet the little puppy, she loves them oh so much," he asked. "Do you want to pet him, Pru?" Loki asked. He squatted down to her level and guided Pru's hand to touch the dog's soft fur.

Steve watched in amazement as Loki helped Pru to pet the dog. What was he really seeing here? What was happening?

The woman with the stroller smiled at Steve. "It's always great to see other families in the neighborhood. I'm Joan, by the way, this my wife, Lakshmi," she said. "And our little baby boy, Krishna," she said.

Steve took her extended hand and shook it warmly. "I'm Steve, this is…Larry, and Pru," he said.

"Pru, how cute. Well we should really get going, it was nice to meet you guys," said Joan.

"Oh yeah, definitely, same here," Steve said.

Loki stood up and smiled at the women. "Very nice to meet you both, and your little one," he said. "Come along, Pru. Time for ice cream, take care," Loki said.

The women walked away in the other direction and they continued to make their way to the ice cream parlor.

"So we're a loving couple now?" Steve asked.

"What was I supposed to say? Oh sorry, no, I'm just babysitting my niece who just so happens to be the God of thunder's daughter, oh and by the way this is Captain America," Loki said sarcastically. "Also, you couldn't come up with anything better than Larry? I use, Liam, by the way," he said.

"Liam?"

"Well, you didn't expect me to come to Migard and say hello, remember me, I'm Loki, I tried to kill you all," he snapped.

"Well there's no need for you to be rude about it," Steve said angrily.

They continued to walk down the block in silence. When they got to the ice cream shop, it was empty except for a couple kids in the back eating ice cream and whispering to one another. They walked up to the counter and Steve lifted Pru so she could see the ice cream.

"Hi, I'm Dave, how can I help you guys today?" asked the person behind the counter.

"Can I taste the strawberries and cream?" Steve asked.

The server scooped up some of the ice cream and handed it to Steve.

"Would you like to try something sir?" the server asked, looking at Loki.

"No," he said sourly. "Can we just get Pru something and leave?" Loki asked.

Steve shook his head. "Do you have to be such a sour puss right now?" he asked.

Loki scoffed. "I'll wait outside," he said.

Steve watched him as he left the ice cream shop and then turned back to the server. "I'm sorry. Can I have strawberry on a cone for her? And I'll have strawberries and cream, on a cone as well," he said.

"Sure thing," said the server.

When Steve stepped out into the sunlight, he found Loki sitting on a bench staring down at his hands. Steve sat next to him and put Pru down on the ground. She licked her ice cream and smiled at Steve. "Are you okay?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded but did not respond otherwise.

Steve took a lick of his ice cream and then he grinned. "Do you want a lick, Liam?" he asked in a sultry voice.

Loki looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Shut up," he said.

"Come on, you know you want to lick it," Steve whispered.

Loki bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing but Steve saw the crinkles in the corner of his eye.

"It tastes really good—"

"Oh for Odin's sake," Loki said in an exasperated tone. He reached over and plucked the ice cream from Steve's hand and took a long, deliberate lick.

Steve's eyebrows rose up and then he shook his head. "You're horrible," he said.

Loki shrugged and continued to eat the ice cream.

"Give that back, you didn't want any in there," Steve said. He glanced over at Pru who was sitting on a little bench completely engrossed in her ice cream cone.

"Well I want it now," Loki said.

"You have a little…"

"What?"

"A little something there…" Steve said. He leaned closer to Loki. "Here let me get that for you," he said softly. He kissed Loki on the side of his mouth where the ice cream had been. He then moved over to Loki's lips and kissed him slowly. He got the taste of the ice cream and suddenly he felt Loki's tongue dart into his mouth. Steve broke the kiss and stared into Loki's eyes. "What are we doing?" he asked softly.

Loki shrugged. He was as lost and confused as Steve was it seemed.

They both turned their attention to Pru who had eaten most of her ice cream. The rest of it had found its way all over her mouth and her hands. Loki saw that some of it had leaked down onto her clothes as well.

"We have really got to stop doing this," he said. "Look at her, she's a mess," Loki muttered.

"Let's get her back to the apartment. She could use a shower and a nap."

* * *

Back in the apartment, Loki and Steve sat on the couch while Pru slept in Loki's bedroom.

"Looks like we got home just in time," Steve said.

They looked out the window and saw that the rain had begun to fall.

"I'm gonna make some coffee, want some?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded and watched Steve as he ambled over to the kitchen. Loki got up and went over to his bookshelf. He pulled out the large book that Pru had ripped and went back over to the couch with it. He tenderly turned the pages and ran his fingers along the dried ink on the paper.

A few minutes later, Steve came back into the living room with two mugs of coffee. He handed one to Loki who accepted it gratefully.

"Is that a…Jötunn?" Steve asked. The word felt strange in his mouth and he quickly took a sip of coffee.

Loki nodded and ran his finger across the face of a woman in a drawing. "Yes, it's a sketch of a Jötunn. There are many in this book. I bought it with me from Asgard," Loki said.

"Do you miss it there?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded sadly. "I do. It's home…not this place," he said.

"I know how that feels," Steve replied.

Loki took a sip of his coffee and sighed. "What I would give to walk the golden halls of Asgard once more…to see my mother…my gardens…"

"Sometimes when I sleep I dream that this isn't real. I dream that I'm back home where things are simpler, at least you have the option of going back," Steve said.

"I don't. I'm in exile, I've been banished. You can't go back to your time because it no longer exists, but my world? My world is there, it's still there and I'm here and I can't do anything about it," he said bitterly.

"At some point it becomes a dull ache, something that you think about only on rainy days like this one," Steve said. "Can I show you something?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded and closed his book.

Steve reached over to the coffee table and picked up his sketchbook. He flipped it open to the most recent sketches he had done and he showed it to Loki.

"Is this me?" Loki asked softly.

Steve nodded and felt his cheeks burn. "Yeah, it is," he said. "Your face is…challenging. I like it," Steve said. He observed Loki for a few moments and then he took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you something," he said.

Loki looked up and smiled at Steve. "This is beautiful, Steve," Loki said. "Sorry, what did you want to ask me?"

Steve licked his lips and took a sip of his coffee. "I wanted to know if I could…sketch you…in your natural form," he said in a small voice.

"Why would you want to do that?" Loki asked.

"I don't think those people who sketched those Jötunns in your book did them justice," Steve said. "Please?" he added.

Loki looked at Steve and then he glanced back to the sketchbook in his hands. He closed his eyes and his body shimmered and quite suddenly, he was blue.

Steve still was not quite used to seeing Loki like this and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He reached over and took the sketchbook from Loki and pulled his pencil out of his pocket. "Do you want music or anything?" Steve asked.

"No, I don't need it," Loki said with a small smile.

Steve pushed himself back and settled himself comfortably on the couch. He put his pencil to the paper and sketched Loki the Jötunn while the rain fell from the sky and washed the city clean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear there is a plot in here somewhere guise!!! For now, please enjoy all of the magical, cotton candy, fluffy Steve and Loki moments. I did outline the entire story today so you will be happy to know that there is an end! I know what I'm doing people! lol
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! And for the lovely kudos!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. The Soldier and The Alien

Loki was still not used to the smell of food in his home. He had left Steve and Pru home alone for the day while he went to the University to get some work done. Steve had graciously canceled his boxing classes to take care of Pru while Loki worked. He closed the door softly and saw that Steve and Pru were sitting on the living room floor playing with an assortment of toys. Loki heard the soft sounds of a piano and realized that Steve was playing one of his favorite pieces of classical music,  _trois gymnopédies_. He felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. How was it possible that of all the songs he would hear upon walking through the door, he would hear this one? He removed his coat, which was slick with rain and hung it on the coat rack. Steve turned around and smiled at Loki when he saw him.

"I told you to take an umbrella," Steve chided. He effortlessly lifted himself up from the ground. "I hope you don't mind, I figured out how to use your I-pod," Steve said sheepishly.

"I don't mind," Loki said with a shrug. He looked over at Pru who was talking to someone on a fake cell phone.

When she saw her uncle she got up and toddled over to him. She smiled up at her uncle and held the phone out to him.

Steve stared at Loki and shrugged. "I've been talking on that phone all day, it's your turn now," he said.

Loki watched Steve as he walked off toward the kitchen and ruefully accepted the phone from his niece.

Pru stared at him expectantly and then she handed him the green teddy bear.

"Onco, Brobee dance?" she asked.

"No, Pru," he said in his best stern-uncle-voice.

Pru pouted at him and whined. "Please?" she asked.

Loki studied her for a moment and then sighed. He took the toy from Pru and when he placed it down on the ground it began to run around Pru's legs. Pru laughed and began to chase the toy around the room.

"Be careful, you'll hurt yourself," Loki warned.

Steve came out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in his hands and watched in amusement as Pru tried to catch the toy.

"I thought we agreed, no more magic," Steve scolded.

"I couldn't help it, you didn't see her face," Loki said.

"I wouldn't have taken you for such a big softie," Steve joked.

"Oh hush. I know not of what you speak. I should get out of these wet clothes," Loki said. He looked at Steve with a sly smile. "Would you like to help?" he asked.

Steve put his hands up in protest. "Nope. I'm cooking. Do you think Thor will have dinner?" Steve asked.

"The big oaf is greedy, of course he will," he said.

Steve laughed. "He's not a big oaf," he said.

Loki raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "He is. What time will he be here to pick her up?" Loki asked.

Steve glanced at his watch. "He said around 8," he said.

"Alright. So, Mr. Rogers, it's only been what…three days or so? Are you already immune to my charms?" Loki asked.

Steve shrugged but his eyes twinkled. "I think so. You don't seem to be immune to my cooking though," he said with a grin while patting his stomach.

"I knew you came here to make me fat," Loki moaned as he walked toward the bathroom.

"Just showing some Migardian hospitality!" Steve shouted from the kitchen.

Loki rolled his eyes and walked into the bathroom. He peeled off his wet clothes and tossed them into the hamper. His hair was slick and there was still water on his face. He really should have listened to Steve and carried an umbrella with him. Loki studied his face in the mirror and noted some color where there had been mostly paleness before. He thought back of his day at work and how many times his mind had run across Steve and Pru, wondering what they were doing, wondering what Steve was doing, what he was cooking for dinner, if he should call and ask him if he needed anything, if he should call just to say hello, just to hear his voice. Loki quickly shut his eyes and rested his hands against the porcelain sink. He was not sure what was happening in his head but whatever it was, it felt strange and foreign.

He quickly hopped in the shower and allowed the water to get hotter than he liked. He felt the liquid as it burned his skin but for once, he did not mind. His mind raced as he faced the bitter reality that this three-day mirage was just that, a mirage, a phantom of what his life could be. He had never considered himself to be a family man; he had never considered himself to be a man who could be interested in  _only one person_. The very idea of it made his skin crawl. But somehow, with Steve, it all felt…right. He could not put his finger on it, but somehow he knew that he wanted to tie himself to this beautiful Migardian soldier and stay with him for as long as he could. He felt his chest tighten and he pulled open the shower curtain with a flourish. He hopped out of the shower and grabbed his towel. He opened the small window in the bathroom and stuck his head outside. He allowed the cool rain to hit his face and he took several long, deep breaths. What in the world was wrong with him?

* * *

 Steve observed Loki from across the table and immediately knew that something was wrong. He looked down at the food that he had made, lo mein, teriyaki chicken and some vegetables. "Is the food bad?" he asked.

Loki, who had been picking at the food like a bird, was startled and looked up at Steve. "What? Oh, no, no it's very good. I haven't got much of an appetite," he confessed.

"You've barely touched your food. Look if something is wrong, you can tell me," Steve said gently.

"I'm fine," Loki snapped.

"Okay, whatever you say," he said. They continued to eat in silence.

Pru sat at a chair as well eating noodles with her fingers.

"Are you sad that Pru is leaving?"

"Don't you know when to leave things alone?" Loki asked.

"Is this what you do?" Steve asked angrily.

"What are you talking about?"

"You get scared when people get too close," Steve said.

"You have some nerve, you think I'm going to miss  _you_?" Loki asked.

" _Me_? I was talking about Pru," Steve said.

"Oh…" Loki's voice trailed off.

They stared at each other awkwardly and then Steve got up from the table. "I'm going to finish my dinner in the living room, if you don't mind," he said.

"Be my guest," Loki said sourly. He watched Steve as he walked out of the kitchen with his plate in his hand.

Pru looked as well and quite suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. "Onco Steve!" she wailed.

"Hush and finish your dinner," Loki said.

Pru folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. "No!" she said.

"Listen, you can't always have what you want—"

At that point, Pru stuck her tongue out at her uncle and with great effort, climbed down from the chair. She ran out of the kitchen and into the other room to join Steve leaving Loki in the kitchen alone with his lo mein and his black thoughts.

* * *

 Outside in the living room, Steve found that he too had seemingly lost his appetite. His mind was in a whirl thinking about what Loki had said, when Pru climbed up on the chair next to him. He looked down at her and smiled. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He placed his plate on the table and Pru crawled into his lap. He allowed his mind to wander on Loki and what the past three days had been like. He recalled Loki pushing Pru on the swing; he remembered Loki's surprised face when Pru put her arms around his neck. He thought of when they had gone to the museum and Pru had held Loki's hand and pulled him through the galleries. He remembered when she had fallen asleep and Loki had tenderly brushed her hair back with his fingers when he thought Steve was not looking. He saw something else there, something that had been hidden beneath a mask that Loki had been so used to putting on every day; and Steve knew within his heart that this mask was not something that Loki used here on Earth, it was too well crafted, it was seamless, it was something that Loki had been using all his life. Steve did not feel sorry for Loki, but he knew his pain, he knew what it felt like to be bullied and to be pushed into a corner for nothing more than simply being who you were. He found that he could not be upset at Loki for lashing out at him, because he of all people knew what it was like to be in a strange world and have everything that you love be ripped away from you. He looked down at Pru who was sucking her thumb. Her eyes were slowly closing and she kept opening them, fighting the sleep that was slowly taking over. From behind him, he heard someone clear his throat.

Loki stood a few feet behind him with his hands in his pockets. Steve looked at him for a moment and then turned back around. If Loki wanted to talk to him, if he wanted a friend, he would have to make that decision on his own. Steve was not going to chase behind him like some kind of lovesick puppy, he decided.

Loki walked over to Steve and sat next to him on the couch.

There was a very ripe moment of silence and then Loki broke it with a quiet, trembling voice.

"I apologize for my behavior in the kitchen," he began.

"You don't have to," Steve said.

"What you said in there…"

Steve turned to Loki. "Seriously, Loki, you don't have to explain yourself. I understand. I really don't know what we've been doing for the past few days, but I think it's over now…"

"What?"

"Isn't that what it is? I got too close, we got too close, you're not ready for anything…I think," Steve said sadly.

"Is that what you think?" Loki asked.

"Well isn't it true?" Steve asked.

"Steve…the past few days have been…the best three days I've spent since I've been on this miserable planet, and I don't know what to do with that," Loki admitted.

"It's strange, not knowing something, right?" Steve asked. He looked down at Pru who had finally fallen asleep.

Loki reached over and took her little hand in his.

"I didn't know that I would feel this way. That I would feel…affection," he said. He looked up at Steve and stared into his eyes. "For both of you…"

Steve felt a lump in his throat and he broke the gaze. "So where do we go from here?" Steve asked quietly.

"Perhaps we can simply take it one day at a time," Loki suggested. Loki opened his palm and Steve looked down at it. He stared at Loki's fingers for a moment and then he threaded his fingers with Loki's.

"One day at a time then," Steve said.

"This must be strange for you," Loki said.

"What?"

"Me, I mean being a man and not a woman," Loki said.

Steve grinned. "Well I thought you were an alien," he joked.

Loki laughed. "That is true, is that what I said?"

"You said 'I am a God'," Steve said imitating Loki's accent.

Loki laughed again. "Is that how I said it?"

"Yup."

"You're quite silly for such an old man," Loki teased.

"Look who's talking about old!" Steve said.

Steve looked into Loki's eyes and smiled. They stared at each other for a few moments, still holding hands. They were jolted out of their reverie by the doorbell.

It was Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, thanks so much for the kudos and all of the comments! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :D Some lovely Steve and Loki moments toward the end! lol. So I'm guessing that there will be another cute chapter maybe and then there will be some actual PLOT. wooohooo. haha. okay I should go get some breakfast now.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! And let me know what you think about this chapter :D


	10. The Greedy Asgardian

When Loki opened the door, Thor immediately pulled him into one of his bone-crunching hugs. "My brother," Thor said. Loki hugged him back reluctantly.

"It's good to see you," Loki said halfheartedly.

Thor pulled away from Loki and observed his face. "You look well, brother, something about your face..."

"It's my fault," Steve said coming up behind Loki.

Thor's face brightened even more when he saw Steve. "Captain, it's very good to see you!" he boomed. He moved past Loki and pulled Steve into a hug. Steve awkwardly patted Thor on his shoulder. "You have taken care of my daughter  _and_ my brother? I owe you so much, Captain," Thor said.

"I enjoyed doing it," Steve said with a wry smile.

"And where is my little dumpling?" Thor asked.

"She just fell asleep. I put her on the bed inside. Do you want to have some dinner?" Steve asked.

Thor slapped Steve on the shoulder and began to walk over to the bedroom. "Of course! I'm famished!" he said.

Steve and Loki exchanged a look and Loki shook his head. "I told you," he muttered.

Steve rubbed his shoulder where Thor had slapped him. "Ow…" he whispered.

* * *

Thor sat on the edge of the bed and tenderly stroked Pru's cheek. Loki entered the room with his arms crossed over his chest.

Thor looked up at his brother and smiled. "Brother, how was she? I hope she did not give you too much trouble?" Thor asked in a low voice.

Loki shook his head. "We got off to a bit of a rough start, but we became friends…I think," he said. There was a very pregnant pause and then Loki cleared his throat. "How are things back home?" he finally asked.

"Everyone is fine. Mother sends her regards," Thor said.

"And father?" Loki asked.

Thor shook his head and turned back to Pru. "He…"

"It's fine, I understand," Loki said.

Thor rose up and pulled a small golden bag out of his pocket. "Mother wrote you a letter. She sent you a little something in the bag as well, I know not what it is," Thor said. He handed Loki the bag and he accepted it gratefully.

"I'll read it later," he said.

"I don't know how to thank you for what you've done for me," Thor said.

"It was nothing, and I had Steve to help me," Loki said.

"You two seem to be getting along," Thor said with a small smile.

"He's…sweet," Loki said. He walked over to his chest of drawers and opened the top drawer. He deposited the golden bag amongst his clothing and shut it quietly.

"Do you like him?" Thor asked.

"I don't know, Thor, and I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you."

"Why not? I'm your brother, you can talk to me, you know," Thor said.

"So much has happened. There has been a lot of things that we…have not talked about," Loki said.

"Well, perhaps it is time that we fixed that," Thor said gently.

"Don't you think I would have done it if I could?" Loki asked.

"I think you've been locked up in here too long," Thor said.

"What are you talking about, Thor? I work, it's not like I spend all of my time here in this house."

Thor walked up to his brother and shook his head. "I'm not talking about in the house, Loki. I'm talking about in here," he said as he gently touched Loki's chest.

Loki made a face. "We should go eat dinner," he said.

"Why is it so hard for you to talk to me?" Thor pressed.

"Can we not do this now?" Loki asked.

"This has always been my problem with you, Loki," Thor said angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Loki asked.

"I try to reach out to you and talk to you, I try to bring you in yet you always push me away. You treat me as though I am the enemy…when will you see that I have been nothing but a friend to you?" Thor said.

"Don't try and act all self-righteous now, Thor. Growing up with you wasn't exactly the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced," Loki spat.

"I know that, which is why I'm trying to make things better but you never allow me to—"

"You can't just…make it better, Thor."

"But will you not allow me a chance to try? After everything you've done, I still trust you."

"Well then, what does that say about you?" Loki asked.

Thor regarded him for a moment and then shook his head sadly. "I suppose it must mean I am a fool," he said.

Loki watched as his brother left the bedroom and left him in the darkness. He detected a droop in his shoulders, as though he had suffered some great defeat within the four walls of the room. Loki looked at Pru and suddenly he was upset. Not at Thor and his bumbling ways, but at himself for feeling uncomfortable with what just happened between him and his brother. He heard a soft knock on the bedroom door and saw that it was Steve who had entered. He flicked on the light switch and stared at Loki. Steve's blue eyes were filled with concern.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

Loki shook his head. "We…had a disagreement," he said.

"He's not staying for dinner," Steve said.

"Why not?"

"You tell me," Steve said. He went over to the corner of the room where they had packed all of Pru's things. He picked up the bag and the car seat. "I'm going to take these things downstairs," he said. Steve was almost out of the door and then he stopped. "You know, I wish I still had family," he said before walking out of the door.

Loki chewed on his lip and looked at Pru once more.

* * *

"Why aren't you staying for dinner?" Loki asked.

Thor looked up at him from his seat on the couch and shrugged. "I should get Pru home. It's late," he said.

"Come on," Loki said.

"What?"

"In the kitchen, now," Loki ordered.

Thor shot Loki a dirty look but followed him into the kitchen anyway.

"Sit. I know you're hungry you big oaf," he chided.

Thor pulled out a chair and sat at the small table. He watched as Loki dished out an extremely large portion of food and he tried to hide his smile.

Loki placed the plate before Thor and handed him a fork.

Thor shoveled some food into his mouth greedily and grinned. "Sif wanted to know how you're handling it over here with no magic," he said.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Oh, she thinks she's so clever, doesn't she," he said sarcastically.

"I saw your gardens, they are being well kept. They look beautiful," Thor said.

"I would love to see them with my own two eyeballs," Loki said.

Steve stepped through the kitchen door and flashed a warm smile at Loki. "Everything is in the car, Thor," he said. He walked over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup.

"Thank you, Steve," Thor said. "This is really good," he said, shoveling more food into his mouth.

Steve and Loki exchanged a look and a small smile. At the small upturn of the corner of Steve's lips, Loki felt something brush against his stomach that very much felt like the soft petals of a rose.

* * *

Steve and Loki stood outside and watched as Thor buckled Pru into her car seat. She stirred and opened her eyes. When she saw her father she smiled, a sleepy little smile. "Papa!" she said.

Thor smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I am here, Pru," he said.

"Onco!" she said.

Thor moved out of the way and Steve and Loki smiled at Pru.

"Bye Pru, you be a good girl now!" Steve said.

"Good bye, Pru," Loki said somewhat stiffly.

"Onco Steve! Onco Loki…kiss!" she said with a sly grin.

Loki's face fell and when he looked at Steve, his face had turned beet red.

Thor looked at Pru, then at Steve and finally at Loki.

"Shit," Loki said softly.

Steve looked away awkwardly.

Thor smiled and then began to laugh. He gave the two men a knowing look and shook his head. "I'll pretend that did not happen," he said. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing but he couldn't fight it. Within moments, all three of them were standing around laughing at how ridiculous the entire thing was.

Thor clapped his brother on the shoulder and then pulled him into another hug. "I'll see you soon, brother," he said. He hugged Steve as well and then he jumped into the front seat of the car.

Steve and Loki waved at Pru through the glass and she waved back at them. They watched as the car pulled out of the parking space and then drove up the street.

"Well, you made it," Steve said.

"I suppose I did. It would have been infinitely more difficult without your assistance, I must admit," Loki said.

"You must admit?" Steve said with a grin.

Loki grasped Steve's hand and interlaced his fingers with his. "Yes," he said softly. "Now I have you all to myself, Captain," he said.

Steve lifted an eyebrow. "Is that a threat?" he asked.

"Only if you want it to be," Loki said.

"You know what…" Steve said. He leaned in close to Loki's ear and smiled.

Loki felt a million different things rush through his body when he felt Steve's lips on his ear. "You know what time it is…" Steve murmured.

"No…what time is it?" Loki asked.

"It's your turn to do the dishes," Steve said.

Loki pushed Steve away and rolled his eyes.

Steve followed Loki back inside and laughed all the way up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll. Sorry this took so long to happen! I actually wrote the first 2 pages of this chapter and they were kinda just sitting there for a while so I decided to finish it today. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D I hope I'm not late for work now! haha.


	11. The Phone Call

It had been two whole days since Loki had set his eyes on Steve and he was anxious. He sat behind his desk staring into the blank, white page on his computer screen. The cursor blinked maddeningly, teasing and taunting him. Every few seconds his eyes would dart to his cell phone, which sat on his desk on top of a pile of papers that needed to be graded. He picked up the phone and unlocked it. He went onto his contact list and scrolled down to Steve's name. His finger hovered over the button for a few seconds and then he placed the phone back on the desk. He could not believe that he was sitting here debating on whether or not he should call someone. He felt foolish and stupid and oddly excited. In the past two days, he had imagined him and Steve's meeting over and over again. He thought perhaps he would bump into him at the supermarket, or maybe while he took his jog in the park, but to his displeasure, the Captain was nowhere to be found. He wondered if perhaps Steve had already forgotten about him. He wondered if he was holed up somewhere sketching the lines and imperfections of another man's face. He looked up at the other Professor in the office. She too was sitting behind her desk but unlike him, she was typing furiously. Her name was Chandra and she was the only person in New York City that he considered to be a friend.

"Chandra, can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Sure Liam, what's up?" she asked looking up. She pushed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose and smiled at him.

"I feel…somewhat childish asking you this but…how long should you wait to speak to someone after you've seen them?" he asked awkwardly.

Chandra furrowed her brows. "I'm not sure if I follow you, you're talking about after a date?" she asked.

"Not exactly, we didn't really go on a date, per se."

"So what did you do? Did you sleep with her?" Chandra asked with a sly smile.

Loki blushed. "I did not. We just…can I buy you a new coffee?" he asked.

She looked down at her cup, which was empty and shrugged. "Sure, why not. My brain is spinning anyway," she said.

He grabbed his phone and his wallet and they headed down to the coffee shop on campus.

* * *

The café was empty except for a couple students milling about. The campus tended to be emptier during the summer holidays. Loki and Chandra sat at a table next to the window. He wrapped his hands around the coffee mug and took some comfort in the warmth that seeped through the mug and into his fingers.

"So, dish," Chandra said.

"What?"

"Oh, I keep forgetting that you're a foreigner, tell me what happened," she said with an apologetic smile.

"Chandra, since I've been teaching here, well actually, living here, you've been a good friend to me," Loki said.

"Aw, you're a good friend too, Liam. What's on your mind?"

"I met someone last week…and I don't know what to do. I was babysitting over the weekend, my niece. The person I met…well…he…he's a friend of my brother's…" Loki said.

"Okay so what's the problem? Does your brother like him or something?" she asked.

"No. But I think I like him."

"When was the last time you were in a relationship?" she asked.

Loki laughed. "Oh decades ago," he said.

"Ok seriously, Liam! You need to get up on it. Look, I'm going to assume that you were hurt somehow in your last relationship, which explains why you're so hesitant about jumping into a new one, or even letting someone get close to you. I know how that feels, believe me. But you can't let the things in your past dictate your future. You should give him a chance," Chandra said.

"I haven't seen him in two days and I want to call him but I don't know what to say," Loki said.

"Call him and invite him over for dinner. Or ask him if he wants to go to the movies. Do something easy and fun so you won't freak out," she said with a grin.

"I just…I don't know why he would even like someone like me," Loki said.

"What are you talking about? You're one of the coolest guys I know. You're charming and funny and different. He'd be missing out on a great guy if he didn't go out with you," she said.

"You're just saying that," Loki said.

"No I'm not. We've been in that office together for almost 2 years now and…when me and Daniel broke up, you brought me wine, and you listened to me whine about it for weeks, I'll never forget that, Liam," Chandra said.

"You're the first person who spoke to me kindly when I moved here and I will never forget  _that_ ," Loki said.

"So how come you never told me you had a brother? Is he good looking?"

Loki chuckled. "Some would say so."

"You should introduce us sometime. So tell me about this mysterious boy you met. Is he cute? Why do you like him?"

"Well, he's very cute, as you would say. He's sweet, an excellent cook and an excellent artist; great with kids. He's also very honest and…what is it? Why are you smirking?" Loki asked.

"Not smirking, I just can't keep the smile off my face, Liam. I wish you could see your face while you talk about him," Chandra said.

"What does it look like?" Loki asked.

Chandra smiled at him. "Honestly? In all the time I've known you, this is the most happy I've ever seen you," she confessed.

"What should I do?" Loki asked.

"Call him," she said.

"Shouldn't I wait for him to call me? For him to choose me?" Loki asked.

"Are you just going to wait around and let your life turn into a series of 'what if' moments? The worst thing he can say is no, and I highly doubt he will. You just need to have a little more faith in yourself, Liam. You're a good guy, I just don't think you see it yourself."

Loki pondered on Chandra's words and sipped some coffee.

She glanced at her watch and then cursed. "Oh shit, I gotta go. Meeting the parents in Queens for dinner," she said while rolling her eyes. "You know the invitation still stands. You're welcome anytime to dinner with my parents. I know they'll love you," she said.

"Thank you, Chandra," he said.

"Call him!" she said as she got up.

"I will," he said. He followed her with his eyes as she left the café and then turned his attention back to his cell phone. He picked it up gingerly and unlocked it. He scrolled down to Steve's name and his finger hovered once again over the call button. Why did Steve even like him, he wondered. The Captain was too accepting and generous. Loki knew if he was in his position, and if things had been the other way around, he would have run in the other direction. Perhaps the Captain had finally realized what a mistake he had made over the weekend. Perhaps he had already forgotten their kisses and their promise to take it one step at a time together. Loki found himself becoming angry, more with his own self than anything, for believing that someone could ever be interested in a monster like him. He put the phone back down on the table and curled his fingers into a fist.

That was when the phone vibrated. He looked at the phone and suddenly his heart was in his throat.  _Steve Rogers._  Loki picked up the phone and noted the butterflies in his stomach as they flitted about excitedly. He pressed the answer key and put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" he said in a shaky voice.

"Hey, how are you?" said Steve.

Loki felt as though he had the wind knocked out of him and for a moment he could not answer.

"Are you there? Sorry I don't get good reception at the gym," Steve said.

"Oh no, I'm here, sorry about that. I'm good, what about you?" Loki asked. He drummed his fingers on the table nervously.

"I'm good. At the gym and I just thought I would give you a call," Steve said.

"Did you now? I thought you ran away or something," Loki said.

Steve laughed at this. "I figured you would need some time to sort through things. I know I did," he said.

"Ah," Loki said. If only he could somehow convey every moment of anguish that he had felt during the past through days to Steve, he would have been happy. A part of him wanted to snap at Steve for being so thoughtful. He wanted to hang up the phone and let Steve wonder why he was upset and let him go through the same exact thing he had been going through for the past few days and yet…another part of him was tired. He was tired of the games he played, tired of pushing people away because he did not want to tear down the walls that he had spent years and years putting up. He thought of what Chandra had said to him… _you can't let your past dictate your future…_

"What are you doing later?" Loki asked.

"Nothing really. What about you?" Steve asked.

And there it was, the moment Loki had been waiting for. It sat there, ripe for the picking, juicy and sweet and Loki almost did not know what to do with it.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies later," Loki said. He held his breath as he waited for an answer from Steve.

"Sure. How about I pick you up at your place around 8?" he asked.

Loki allowed himself to breathe again.

"That sounds wonderful," Loki said.

"Alright I should go. I'll see you later," Steve said.

"Bye," Loki said. He hung up and placed the phone back on the table.

He felt the butterflies again in his stomach, and he felt almost giddy with excitement.

He had a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I started writing this chapter, and when I looked down at the word count it was wayyy longer than I wanted it to be, so I decided to post this half and then the other half I'll post later when I finish it. 
> 
> I'm so excited! They have a date! :D
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one should be up tomorrow unless I'm too hungover to finish it, haha.


	12. The Almost Date

Steve pulled on a clean pair of jeans and ran his fingers through his damp hair. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table; it was 7:20. He picked up the shirt that he had decided he would wear and slipped his arms into the sleeves. It felt comfortable on him, almost like a second skin, much unlike the feelings that he had been experiencing all evening. As he buttoned the shirt, he wondered what he was doing. He hadn't been on a date in years, and here he was, going on one with a man. He chuckled out loud when he realized to himself that Loki was neither a woman nor a man, he was an  _alien_. Steve's finger's fumbled on the last button and he sighed. He had done some reading up on sexuality in the past couple of days and he was now even more confused than he had been before. There had been so many terms and definitions in the book it had made his head spin. He looked over his shoulder and saw the book where he had left it, on his bedside table. He turned back to the mirror and began to tuck his shirt into his pants. His eyes strayed to a small sketch of Loki that he had done the night he had come back home. It was tucked in the upper-left corner of the mirror's frame. He took it down and ran his thumb across the sharp lines of Loki's face and smiled. He thought back on the past two days and how difficult it had been for him not to call Loki and see what he was doing. He wanted to make sure that Loki was eating food,  _real_ , food; to make sure that he wasn't falling asleep on the couch with his books around him in a disarray, he wanted to make sure that he remembered to close the windows so the rain wouldn't get in and wet the carpet again like the last time. He wanted to sketch Loki over and over again until he figured out how to get the crinkles that appeared at the corners of his eyes, just right. He wanted to hear Loki talk about Asgard and see the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his gardens. More than anything, he wanted to be there to let Loki know that he was not alone. Steve recalled the crippling loneliness that he had felt when he had been defrosted and he shuddered. He remembered how angry he had been all the time, how hard it had been to trust people, how hard it was to wake up every morning and actually do something other than lie under the covers all day. Steve knew that beneath the layers of ice that Loki had built up around himself over the years was a person who deserved and desired to be loved for who he was. Steve tucked the sketch back into the frame and observed himself. He frowned.

"You look fine, Steve," he murmured to himself.

He knew that Loki was probably already dressed in some immaculate outfit, looking like a model from a clothing ad. He could see him now, sitting on the couch, sipping from a wine glass as he waited for Steve: Steve, who would show up in jeans and an old t-shirt. He glanced at the clock again: it was 7:25.

He dashed over to his closet and began to search for another shirt.

* * *

Loki's was in a frantic state. He stood in front of his mirror fretting as he pulled on a pair of slacks. The expensive material felt cool and familiar against his skin and he felt comfortable. He looked down at the three pairs of jeans that he had tried on earlier. They were strewed on the floor like yesterday's garbage, surrounded by very expensive button ups that he had also tried on and did not like. He observed himself in the mirror and did everything in his power to not roll his eyes.

"Slacks at a movie theater?" he asked himself out loud. He forced himself to ignore the little voice at the back of his mind and he pulled on a dark green button up. Slacks and a button up at the movie theater would be fine. He studied his eyes in the mirror and then he finally rolled them. He knew Steve would show up in something…comfortable. Perhaps Steve would wear the shoes that had lost their shine and had faint scuffmarks on them, the pair of jeans splattered with tiny specks of paint that he thought were too small for anyone to notice, and the white shirt with the blue and yellow lines that were soft to the touch and always smelled like fresh laundry. Loki buried his face in his hands and allowed himself to sink to the floor. Who knew getting dressed would prove to be such a challenge? He eyed a pair of jeans that lay sprawled out on the carpet and he stretched his arm to pick it up. He studied the material in his hand and he sighed. These jeans were expensive. They looked good on him that he knew, otherwise he wouldn't have bought them, but something about them felt too foreign and stiff. He much preferred the smooth material of slacks and dress pants. He frowned down at the pants and then sighed. He got up and took off his dress pants and switched them for the uncomfortable jeans. When he was done, he selected a green t-shirt and completed his outfit with a black blazer. He pulled out a pair of sneakers that he wore only once before and dusted them off. He glanced at the clock on his wall. It was 7:45. He felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of finally seeing Steve after two agonizing days. In order to ease his wild heart, he began to think of the things about Steve that calmed him down. While Steve had sketched him, he had taken note of the things that the Captain did when he thought no one was watching. Loki liked the way Steve furrowed his eyebrows together while he sketched. Loki had noticed the little sprinkling of moles on Steve's throat and how the resembled a constellation. He had seen the little dimple that magically appeared on his left cheek when he smiled. He had noticed that when Steve was concentrating on something, he would chew on his bottom lip, switching from side to side. Loki allowed all of these small things, these small pieces of Steve, to calm him down. He looked around at the mess in his room and decided that he would clean it up later when he got home. He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine. He walked into the living room and turned on the radio. The soft sounds of piano keys filled his home and he sat down anxiously on the couch and waited for Steve to arrive.

* * *

Steve adjusted his tie for the twentieth time since he had left the house. He stood nervously in front of Loki's door, a bottle of wine in his hand. He looked down at his shoes. They were shiny and new, right out of the box. He had bought them ages ago and had never worn them, choosing to stick to his comfortable shoes instead. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his new outfit. The slacks felt strange and loose and the tie was making him feel terribly self-conscious. He heard the familiar sounds of Loki unlocking the door and his grip on the bottle of wine tightened. The door swung open and Steve smiled at Loki.

"I bought wine," Steve said.

"You shouldn't have," Loki said.

They both stood in the doorway for a moment, absorbing each other's faces.

"I'm sorry where are my manners? Please do come in," Loki said.

Steve stepped inside and Loki shut the door.

"I wasn't sure what to bring. I thought this would be okay," Steve said offering the bottle to Loki.

"And here I was expecting flowers," Loki said with a grin. He graciously took the bottle deliberately brushing his fingers against Steve's. He saw the gentle blush creep into Steve's cheeks and he held back a smile. "Would you like a glass?" Loki asked.

Steve shook his head. "No, but some coffee would be nice," he said.

"Why don't you sit on the couch and I'll bring you some?" Loki said.

Steve smiled and made his way over to the couch. He cracked his knuckles nervously and fiddled with his tie once more.

A few minutes later, Loki arrived in the living room with two mugs of coffee. He handed Steve a mug and he sat on the couch next to him.

"So jeans, huh?" Steve asked.

"You're wearing a tie," Loki observed.

They looked at each other and then they both laughed.

"I thought you would be…dressed up...like this," Steve said.

"And I thought you would wear something more along these lines," Loki said.

"I gotta tell you, I don't know how you do it," Steve said.

"Coming from a man who wears spandex in battle?" Loki asked with a sly smile.

"I don't mind it, it's just…the tie, it's uncomfortable. I've never liked them." Steve confessed.

Loki smiled. "Well why don't you take it off then?" he asked.

"I think I will," Steve said. He turned toward the coffee table to rest his cup on a coaster and Loki did the same.

"Let me," Loki said softly.

Steve looked up at Loki and gulped. He placed his cup down on the table, not even bothering to see if he had placed it on a coaster. He felt his pulse quicken as Loki drew nearer to him. Steve could smell Loki's cologne, something expensive and intoxicating. He allowed Loki to loosen the knot in the tie and he felt Loki's cool fingers as they brushed against his throat. Loki slowly pulled the tie off Steve's neck pulling Steve closer to him. Loki closed his eyes and stopped.

"Do you know…how difficult these past two days have been for me?" he asked in a ragged voice. The butterflies in his stomach danced as he felt Steve's body so close to his own.

"I do know," Steve said. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Loki's lips. The tie hung from Steve's collar but he did not care. He allowed himself to become more comfortable and he gingerly reached out and pulled Loki closer to him. He could feel Loki's body tremble in his strong grip and that made him only want to kiss him even more.

Loki pulled away from Steve and headed for his throat and the constellations that he so loved. He planted kisses on Steve's warm skin and felt his pulse beat below his lips.

Steve arched his head back and allowed Loki to kiss him. He lowered his head and made his way back to Loki's lips, kissing him again and in that moment, he was finally able to forget about all the things that had been swimming around in his head like little unruly fishes. In that moment, with the strange alien creature in his arms, he was able to forget that he had been worried about this, or about what the others would think if they found out. He focused his energy and attention on Loki's lips and the little sighs of contentment that escaped from them.

Loki inhaled the sweet smell of Steve Rogers and his laundry. The smell brought a small smile to Loki's lips as he allowed his fingers to lazily entwine in Steve's hair. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that they would miss whatever movie they had planned to see. Steve's kisses tasted bitter from the coffee that he had just drank but Loki did not mind. He found that all of Steve's kisses tasted the same way to him: sweet. He looked up into Steve's eyes and realized that there was pain and sadness well hidden behind this sweetness. Loki reached up and caressed Steve's face. He ran his fingers along Steve's jaw line, something he had been dreaming of from the moment Steve had walked out of his door.

Steve closed his eyes and leaned forward, touching his forehead to Loki's.

Steam continued to rise from the coffee cups and disappeared into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's almost 3 am. I've been working on this chapter for a few days. I should be asleep now but I couldn't stop writing and now I hope I can wake up in the morning to go to work, LOL. 
> 
> Anywho! I had a lot of fun writing this ;D I'm not too good with writing smut things, so I hope the little blurb I wrote at the end wasn't too terrible. 
> 
> I tried okay? *tear* 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the kudos and the comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!


	13. The Night Loki & Steve Watched Casablanca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen Casablanca, be warned, the ending is talked about in this chapter.

Steve and Loki never made it to the movie theater. Instead, they remained on the couch, Loki, comfortably wrapped up in Steve's arms, watching an old black and white movie.

"You really haven't seen this before?" Loki asked as the movie credits rolled on the screen.

"Nope," Steve said.

"It's one of my favorites," Loki said.

"Why? They didn't even end up together at the end," Steve said.

Loki sat up and turned to face Steve. "I know. It's strange, isn't it? The first time I watched it I was irritated that they didn't end up together, but when I saw it the second time, it all made sense," Loki said.

"And how does it make sense when two people who are so clearly in love don't end up together?"

"Well, it's just like Rick said, their problems doesn't amount to a hill of beans when compared to the problems of the world," Loki said.

"It's noble," Steve mused.

"I thought you would like that," Loki said with a small smile.

"Why? Do you think I'm noble?" Steve asks.

"I know you are," Loki said.

"Well, it's a hard decision to make. I wouldn't want to let the person I love just…fly away on a plane."

"But what if it was for the good of others?" Loki asked.

"Since when do you care about the good of others?" Steve asked jokingly.

A flicker of some lost emotion passed over Loki's face and he forced a thin smile onto his lips. "I suppose, given my history…"

"I'm so sorry, Loki, I didn't mean it."

"It doesn't matter. It's not your fault. It doesn't change anything, does it? In the back of your mind I will always be evil. I will always be the person who…destroyed so much on a mere whim," Loki said. He smoothly untangled himself from Steve's limbs and hopped off the couch.

Steve felt his heart sink as Loki walked out of the living room and over to the bathroom. Steve rose up from the couch and went over to the bathroom door. He rapped gently on the wooden surface.

"Loki?" he said quietly.

Inside the bathroom, Loki stood over the sink staring at his reflection.

"Can I come in?" Steve asked gently.

"You should go, Steve," said Loki, his voice sounding muffled and far away.

"No, I'm not going anywhere," Steve said. "I will stay right here until you open this door."

"You shouldn't be here, Steve. You don't deserve this," Loki said.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked.

"You're noble. You're the kind of man who would let his love go on the plane at the end of the movie. You would sacrifice your love for the greater good. I am selfish. I would not let you go." Loki said.

Steve chewed on this information for a moment.

"You wouldn't let your love go? Or you wouldn't let me go?" Steve asked.

Loki did not respond.

Steve placed his hand on the doorknob and gave it a twist. The door opened and Steve pushed it gently. He found Loki sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. His skin was blue and his face was streaked with tears. Loki looked up at Steve and wiped his face.

"I thought I locked the bloody door," he mumbled. He began to morph back into his human form.

"Stop, it's fine." Steve said. He sat down on the floor and sat across from Loki.

Loki's hands slowly turned blue and Steve reached out and held onto them.

"You're running away from me, and I don't like it," Steve said.

"I'm a monster, can't you see that? I am beyond redemption," Loki said.

"Why do you think you don't deserve love?" Steve asked.

"I have never…I have never been allowed the luxury of love. All of these…long years that I have lived, I have never felt truly loved. I always knew I was different. Growing up, everyone loved Thor, and I mean genuine love. You could see it radiating from their eyes, from their very hearts. They would have cut their own limbs off he had just asked them to. But me? It was always different. I was always in the shadows, people would shy away from me and I turned to magic and dark arts, which ironically only made them fear me more. It was as though everyone else knew what I was to become before I even did."

"I don't think that's true," Steve said.

"Open your eyes, Captain. Look at what is before you," Loki snapped.

"I'm looking at you, and I know what I see. I see someone who hurts, someone who makes mistakes, someone who is flawed, but I also see someone who is caring, someone who makes me laugh, someone who desperately loves his niece even though he doesn't want to admit it, and someone who gives the best kisses I've ever had. You're right, I can't ignore your past, I can't pretend that what you did didn't hurt me and others, but I can give you a chance. And that's a beautiful thing. If there's one thing I've learned is that no one is perfect. I've learned that shit happens, and sure your shit was little intense, I mean you know, aliens and trying to rule the earth and whatnot…"

Loki smiled.

"But I'm not giving up on you. I'm not giving up on this," Steve said.

"You're too optimistic for your own good," Loki whispered.

"You don't think this is strange for me too?" Steve asked. "I have no idea what I'm doing," he said with a laugh.

"Oh, and here I was looking to you for guidance," Loki said.

"Do you want to know my honest opinion?" Steve asked.

"About?"

"About Rick," Steve said.

"Alright."

"I think he was stupid to let her go. I get it, I get the noble thing, I get that their problems seemed trivial in relation to the other shit that was going on in the world at the time…but if I was in his place…I would have kept her by my side. I don't think I'd be able to give her up," Steve said.

"You constantly surprise me, Captain," Loki said.

Steve scooted over and sat next to Loki. He placed his head on the Jötunn's shoulder and entwined his fingers with his. "I like being with you," Steve said.

"You're like the dead sea, Steve," Loki said. He looked down at his blue fingers that were threaded with Steve's human ones.

"The dead sea?" Steve asked.

"I can never drown when I'm with you," Loki said softly.

Steve tightened his grip on Loki's hand. "What's your best memory of Asgard?" Steve asked.

Loki frowned. "My best memory? Let me see…"

Steve felt Loki relax next to him and he smiled.

"Well it would have to be the day my mother gave me the garden," Loki said.

"What's your garden like?" Steve asked.

"It was the seventeenth celebration of my name day. On Asgard, this year is especially important; it's when you officially become a man as opposed to being seen as a boy. Parents and families usually give large gifts to their sons on this day. I remember on Thor's name day, Odin and Frigga gave him an entire castle, a whole bloody castle, all for him, complete with a full staff. They also gave him horses and weapons, Odin even snuck a whore in to break him completely," Loki said bitterly.

Steve squeezed Loki's hand.

"And on your name day?"

"Father…Odin…granted me three horses and my own wing of the castle."

"You mean you didn't have your own wing already?" Steve said with a small laugh.

"No, just a very large chamber," Loki said ruefully. "Well yes, that was all I received from Odin, and a small feast, nothing compared to the one Thor was granted. I remember being sad that day, and when the feast was over my mother came up to me and handed me a small golden envelope. I remember her beautiful handwriting…oh my word," Loki said suddenly.

"What?" Steve asked.

"My mother. She sent me something from Asgard and I completely forgot about it," Loki said.

Loki quickly rose to his feet. He extended his hand and helped Steve stand.

"Why don't you go see what it is and I'll find us another movie to watch," Steve said.

Loki morphed back into his human form and pulled Steve in close.

"You have a deal, sir," he said.

"And then you'll tell me about the gardens?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded. "Yes, I will."

"Loki...I don't want to hurt you. If you really feel like this...is a bad idea...then I'd understand if we-"

Loki cut Steve off with a kiss. When he pulled away he smiled at Steve. "Don't."

Steve watched Loki walk out of the bathroom, a small smile on his lips and a song in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make them watch Casablanca as it's one of my favorite movies. I wrote this chapter yesterday during Sandy and I had no internet to post it up! haha. 
> 
> I'm sososo excited to see what's in the bag. It's sad that I'm still brainstorming about what it could be but I have a couple really good ideas. 
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	14. The Letter

Loki opened his top drawer and extracted the golden bag with trembling hands. It felt light and cool against his touch and when he pulled the strings open, a sweet fragrance arose from inside the little pouch. He pulled out a letter, which had clearly been written in his mother's hand. He sat on his bed and unfolded the lovely parchment paper and began to read:

_My Dearest Loki,_

_I do not even know where to begin. I miss you so. Things are just not the same without you here. I think about you every day and wonder why you are so far away from me. I miss seeing you and your green eyes, wandering about. I miss your little jests and tricks. I miss talking to you about your books. Your gardens are fine but they miss you. The flowers are beautiful but they droop slightly. I think they all know that you are not here. They miss you and the way you sang to them the songs of old. I thought for a long time on what I would send for you with your brother. There is so much here, I wish I could send you everything you love. I wish I could send you your entire garden, and hundreds of the honeyed almond cakes, the ones you eat until you get sick. I thought of sending you some fine Asgardian wine but I realized that you could get wine on Migard as well. I racked my brain for days until I realized what the perfect gift would be. You cannot be here with your garden, but perhaps your garden can come to you. I have sent you some seeds, and some dried flowers that I picked myself. I know it is not much, but I do hope that the seedlings catch and grow on Migard. It would be lovely for you to wake up to a fine blossom on your windowsill. Your father misses you as well even though he does not wish to admit it. I caught him one evening sitting on a bench in your garden. He has refused to speak to me about it since. I go in every few days and tend to everything myself. Your father thinks this work is below me, but I enjoy looking myself in the flowers. I weed, I clip the dead leaves and branches, and I water the plants. I pick flowers and I put them in a vase on my bedside table and when I see them I think of you. I hope you are well. I hope you are eating properly and taking care of yourself. I know how you can get when things don't go your way. I miss you and I can't wait till the day my eyes set their gaze upon your face once more. You will always be my little Lo; you will always be my son. Know that I love you, Loki. I wish only for your happiness. If there ever comes a chance for you upon that planet for happiness, take it, my son. Plant the seeds and let them grow. Accept it with open arms and allow it to flow into your life. Do not run from it, my love. Well, I have babbled long enough. Take care of yourself, and do try and write me next time._

_With Love,_

_Mother._

Loki reread the letter again and felt tears sting in his eyes. Growing up, Frigga had been the only person he had ever truly loved, and he knew that this was because she truly had a good heart. He looked inside the pouch and saw that she had carefully packed him many seeds for some of his favorite flowers. She had labeled all of them with her small, neat handwriting. He pulled out a small box, which contained dried petals from various flowers from his garden. He pressed it up to his nose and inhaled the scent of the flowers. For a moment he was back home, reading on a bench amidst his beautiful flowers, his gate locked, a glass of wine next to him, nothing but the words, silence and the sweet smell of the blossoms. A soft knock on the door brought him back to the present and he turned around to see something almost as good as his gardens and his books combined:  _Steve_.

Steve smiled at him, that sweet, shy smile that reminded him of all the things right with this stupid planet.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Loki nodded.

Steve walked over to him and sat next to him on the bed.

"She wrote me a letter," Loki said.

"I'm sure she misses you," Steve said.

Loki hesitated for a moment and then he handed the parchment over to Steve.

Steve gingerly reached out, brushing his fingers against Loki's as he accepted the square of paper.

Loki watched as Steve unfolded the paper, as he unfolded a piece of Loki and held it in his hands ever so delicately. Steve read the letter and then turned to Loki with a smile. "This is really sweet," Steve said. He folded the paper and handed it back to Loki.

Loki accepted the paper and tucked it back into the bag. He placed it on his bedside table and then he scooted back on the bed.

Steve took a cue from this and also stretched out on Loki's bed next to him.

"I don't have anywhere to plant them," Loki said sadly.

"We could go shopping, get some flower pots," Steve suggested.

"And then? I'll turn this place into a green house?" Loki asked with a chuckle.

"No. I…I own a Brownstone. The backyard is…unused. If you want…we could set up a garden up there. Maybe buy a portable greenhouse for the winter?" he asked.

Loki turned on his side and looked at Steve. "The winter?" he asked with a wry smile.

"What?"

"You're planning on still being around in the winter?" Loki asked.

Steve blushed. "Well…I mean…you know what I mean," Steve stuttered.

"No, tell me what you mean," Loki asked with a mischievous grin.

"I want to be around. And I want  _you_  to be around. And it would be nice to get some help with fixing up the backyard. I keep putting it off."

"So you're using me for free labor," Loki huffed.

"I'll pay you in food," Steve pleaded.

"I'm going to need more than that," Loki said.

"You still didn't finish telling me about your garden," Steve said. He pulled himself closer to Loki's body, closing the small space between them. He snuggled up to Loki and Loki pulled a blanket over their bodies.

"Well, what would you like to know?" Loki asked.

"What it looked like…why you love it so much…"

Loki closed his eyes and smiled. "It's not too big, it's surrounded by a large stone wall, a rusty iron gate that opened with a key. The first time I walked in it was in shambles, overgrown with weeds there were animals living there, there was a small shed that was practically broken down but…I didn't care, it was mine. I started with the weeds, I cleaned the entire thing, I raked, I dug up the soil and started planting flowers and a couple trees. I fixed the shed, added some stone benches, and I added a little fountain right at the middle," Loki said.

"Do you think you could…sketch it out, like a general layout, I'm very visual and I just want to get a better idea of what it looks like," Steve said.

Loki shrugged. "Sure, why not," he said. He sat up and reached over to his bedside table for a pen and a small notebook. He began to crudely sketch the garden. "I'm not as good as you," he said with an apologetic smile.

Steve sat up and wrapped his arms around Loki's waist.

Loki felt his heart skip a beat and he stopped sketching for a moment. He relaxed when he felt Steve's body pressed up against his and he continued to draw. "So this is the gate…when you walk in, it's lined with trees…then you walk up these short steps to the main part…the fountain…the flowers around it…the benches…oh and the shed is over in this corner."

"What about the colors of the flowers?"

"Oh, they're all colors, purples, pinks, blues, whites. My favorite ones are these white and purple ones that grow over the edges of the walls," Loki said. He continued to scribble on the paper and then he held it out before him. "Oh Gods this is terrible," he said.

Steve laughed. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to agree or tell you that I think it's a beautiful drawing," he said.

Loki placed the book and the pen back on the nightstand and turned to Steve.

"You're supposed to tell me I'm the finest artist in the 9 realms," Loki said seriously.

Steve grinned. "I don't know about drawing…but as for kissing…"

* * *

"What do you think about these?" Steve asked. He pointed to a set of medium sized flowerpots. They were square shaped with a small design on the outside.

Loki rubbed his hand on his chin. "I like it," he said.

"Do you want to get a couple of those and some of the ones you saw earlier that you liked?" Steve asked.

"I think so," Loki said.

Steve grabbed several of the flowerpots and placed them in their shopping cart, which was already filled with various gardening tools.

Loki walked ahead and picked up some of the other flowerpots that he had liked. They were small and round and looked like little cauldrons. He walked back to Steve and placed them in the shopping cart.

"So, we should invite Thor and Pru to come over when we do this, right?" Steve asked.

"That would be nice," Loki said with a small smile.

Steve looked at Loki from the corner of his eye. "I was also…thinking about inviting…Tony and Pepper. And maybe Bruce, and Natasha? I don't think Clint is in New York right now…"

Loki made a face. "How will they feel when they realize that I'm there?" he asked.

Steve shrugged. "I don't know. I mean I'll tell them you'll be there, it'll be up to them to come or not," he said.

Loki chewed on this thought. "Why do you want them there?" he asked.

Steve stopped pushing the cart and stared at Loki.

"Well…I want them to…meet my boyfriend," Steve said quietly.

Loki would swear in that moment his heart had stopped beating.

"You what?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Steve cleared his throat and a faint blush stole into his cheeks. "I said, I want them to meet my boyfriend," he said in a clearer voice.

Loki had never blushed harder in his lifetime than that day, standing in the gardening aisle of Home Depot. He felt as though there were an apple lodged in his throat. There were no words coming to his lips and he did the only thing he could do. He entwined his fingers with Steve's.

"Well then, I want to meet my boyfriend's friends," he finally said, with a small grin.

Steve blushed again and started pushing the cart.

Loki thought back to his mother's letter and smiled. It was almost as if she had known all along.

He would plant the seeds and let them grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwww, boyfriendssssss. I was wondering if it was too soon, but I think Steve was just really excited and he really likes Loki and he just wants him all to himself, lol. 
> 
> So, I wanted to let you guys know that I'm doing NaNoWriMo this month!! So, if you see me disappear for a couple days, don't worry, I'm still here. I'm trying to write both things at the same time so I'm just hoping I don't explode in the process. I have a very clear idea of what happens in this story so I should be fine, but you know, I just wanted to give you all a heads up! 
> 
> So if anyone else is attempting NaNoWriMo this month, good luck to you!! :D


	15. The Pep Talk

Steve stood nervously inside a spacious elevator at Stark Tower. In his left hand, he held a bouquet of beautiful flowers that he had picked up on the way over. He chuckled to himself when he realized that the elevator was roughly the size of his bathroom.

"Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Stark is waiting for you on the 12th floor. I have informed her of your arrival," said JARVIS. Steve's eyes wandered up to the ceiling. He knew he would never be used to the strange, disembodied voice that was JARVIS.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Steve said awkwardly.

The elevator continued to climb and finally it stopped on the 12th Floor. The doors slid open noiselessly and Steve walked into a large living room. Sunlight came streaming through the large glass windows and soft jazz music played from invisible speakers. He heard Pepper's voice from the other room and a moment later, she emerged from the kitchen with a large smile on her face. She was on the phone, and she waved excitedly at Steve.

"I understand, Tony. I'm fine," she said. She rolled her eyes at something Tony said and then she laughed. "Sounds great. Listen, I don't mean to cut you off but I do have company. Not telling. Bye, I love you too." She hung up the phone and grinned at Steve. "Steve Rogers, to what do I owe the pleasure!" she said. She waddled over to Steve and stood on her tiptoes. She planted a kiss on Steve's cheek.

"You look beautiful," Steve said.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I know I look like a whale, Steve. There's no need to lie to me," she said with a laugh.  
Steve handed her the bouquet of flowers. "I bought these for you," he said.

"How lovely, they're gorgeous!" she said. She accepted the flowers and pressed them up to her nose. "Thank you, Steve," she said. "Let me get a vase. Do you want some coffee?" she asked.

"Oh, don't trouble yourself," Steve said.

Pepper waved a hand at him. "It's fine, Steve, I'm pregnant, not disabled," she said with a grin.

"Well, if you insist, just-"

"Black. I know," she said with a laugh. "I'll be back," she said.

Steve sat down on the large couch and pulled out his moleskine sketchbook and his pencil. His fingers began to sketch Loki's face on their own, as though they were possessed and not of his own body. He smiled as he saw Loki's face take form on the paper beneath his fingers. Several minutes later, he closed the book when he saw Pepper coming back into the room with a cup of coffee for him in one hand and a vase with flowers in the other. He took the vase from her and placed it at the center of her table.

"They brighten up the room so much. I keep meaning to buy flowers and I keep forgetting, and you know you can't depend on Tony for these things at all," she said. She handed Steve the cup of coffee and he accepted it gratefully. "So, how have you been? I was beginning to think I would have to wait for another global catastrophe to see you again," she said.

"I've been busy with work, it feels nice to do something normal," he said.

"Are you still teaching?"

"Yeah, boxing Monday through Thursday and on Fridays an art class,," he said.

"That's excellent. I'm glad that you're occupying yourself with something other than secret missions and jetting off to a different country every week," she said.

"To be honest, I don't miss it much. I like the quiet life," he said.

"I'm sure you do. Did you finish the renovations on the house?" she asked.

"The first floor is pretty much done. Second floor, I haven't even touched yet, and the backyard and the basement are still a mess," he admitted.

Pepper chuckled. "It takes time. It took us a while to get Stark Tower back in shape after what happened," she said.

Steve nodded and chewed on his lip. "I remember," he said.

"So, have you met anyone special?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Steve blushed. "I think so," he said.

"Do tell," Pepper said with a grin.

"Well...that's actually what I came here to talk to you about."

"Tell me all about her," Pepper said.

Steve looked down at his hands. "Well that's the thing, it's not...it's not a her..."

Pepper's brows rose up quickly and then she smiled. "Well then, tell me about him," she said.

Steve felt nervous and he took a sip of his coffee. Was he actually about to do this?

"Well, he's not from around here," Steve began.

"Where's he from?"

"If I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me," Steve said.

"Try me," Pepper said. She stared into Steve's eyes. "You can trust me, Steve, oh, JARVIS, please turn off all surveillance for this room for the next hour," she said.

"Right away Ma'am," said JARVIS.

Pepper stared expectantly at Steve.

Here goes nothing, he thought. "He's...from Asgard," Steve said.

Pepper frowned. "Asgard...you mean...are you...are you dating Thor?" she asked excitedly.

Steve made a face. "What? No way!" he said.

"I'm sorry, he's the only Asgarian I know unless there's another-"

Pepper stopped talking and she looked at Steve. "Wait a minute...Steve...are you...is it Loki?" she asked.

Steve felt his face burn. "It might be," he said.

Pepper placed her hand on her stomach and frowned. "That's...unexpected," she said finally.

"You think it's a bad idea."

"Oh, God no. I mean, everyone deserves a second chance right? None of us can claim to be innocent or good...we've all made our mistakes," she said.

"His mistakes are a lot bigger than our own," Steve said with a small smile.

"How do you feel about him?"

Steve pondered on this for a moment. "I feel like...like he's misunderstood," he said finally.

"Why?"

"There's a lot more to him than I gave him credit for when I met him the first time. There's a lot of pain, and I can sense a lot of resentment for Thor and for his father. Growing up, it seemed as though he was always in the shadows, and that can't be used as an excuse for his behavior, what he did was wrong, but it makes me want to slow down and...maybe listen to him and see what he has to say."

Pepper absorbed all of this information and then with great effort, she rose up from her seat and waddled over to where Steve was sitting. She sat next to him and placed her hand on his large shoulder.

"Look Steve, no one can tell you who to love. If you find yourself in love with a man or a woman or something in between, that's your preference, that's just the way you're made. I know you're probably freaking out because you're seeing someone who...has a past, but like I said before, we all have our demons. I don't judge you, I support you and I'm here for whatever you need. As for the rest of your teammates, I honestly can't say how they would feel about it."

"That's what I thought," Steve said sadly.

"The thing is though, you have a very good sense of people's characters. If you truly feel that Loki is simply misunderstood, then I'd be willing to accept that too."

"Yeah but..what about Tony and the others? I care them and I care about their opinions. The fact that Loki is a man is strange enough, but I'm willing to deal with that. What I can't handle is the thought that they'll shun him because of who he is and what he did."

Pepper rubbed Steve's shoulder and his back reassuringly.

"They all look up to you, and they all know that you have a very good head on your shoulders, so even though there may be some type of...initial hoopla, I do think that eventually if things go well, it'll be fine."

"Loki and I are planning on fixing up my backyard. I wanted to make a day of it and invite everyone," Steve said.

Pepper smiled excitedly. "That sounds like fun!" she said.

"Do you think maybe it's too s oon? For me to...you know, have everyone come in and meet Loki as my...boyfriend?" he asked.

"He's your boyfriend?" Pepper asked with a wry smile.

"Well, I'm not even sure. It just kinda slipped out the other day," Steve said, turning red.

"You're really smitten, aren't you!" she said.

"I suppose so," he said with a little laugh.  
"It's so hard to find love these days, whatever it is you've found...don't let it go," she said.

"You really don't think it's strange that I'm dating an alien who tried to take over our planet?"

Pepper snorted. "My husband wears a metal suit and flies around while listening to AC/DC. Welcome to the club," she said with a frown.

Steve laughed. "When are you due by the way?" he asked.

Pepper looked down at her round stomach and smiled. "Should be another week," she said. She took Steve's large hand and guided it to a spot on her stomach.

"He's kicking," Steve said with a smile.

Pepper nodded. "I can't believe I'm about to be a mother," she said.

"You'll be great. Any names yet?" he asked.

Pepper folded her hands in her lap and looked away.

"We were thinking...Phillip. Phillip Anthony Stark. Has a nice ring to it," she said.

"Phillip...?"

"Tony and I thought it would be a nice gesture for the memory of...Coulson."

An uncomfortable silence settled on the pair of them like a blanket.

"Coulson,"Steve said softly. "My supposed boyfriend killed Coulson," Steve said with a bitter chuckle.

He got up and walked over to the window.

Pepper stared at him with a sad expression on her face.

"What am I doing, Pepper?" he asked. He looked at the large glass towers that had been destroyed only a couple years ago.

Steve turned around when Pepper didn't answer. He saw her standing looking down at the floor. "Pep?" he said.

She looked up at him, her mouth a round O. "I think my water just broke," she said.

"Oh shit," Steve blurted out. "What do you need me to do?" Steve asked.

"Hospital. I need to go to the hospital. I have to...my bag, my bag is packed its in my room," she said.

"Okay, I'll get you to the hospital," he said.

She smiled at him and he saw that there were tears in her eyes. As he walked into the bedroom his pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone and saw that Loki was calling. His finger hovered over the answer button and suddenly he heard Pepper's voice in his head. " _Phillip Anthony Stark...it has a nice ring to it._ "

He hit the ignore button, shoved the phone in his pocket and grabbed Pepper's hospital bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowza! So doing NaNoWriMo and trying to write fanfiction at the same time is the worst! lol I wrote this chapter over the course of a couple days. There seems to be some trouble/doubt brewing in Steve's mind :( 
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter! Let me know you think! :)


	16. The Time When Steve Was Doing That Thing That Tony Doesn't Like

Steve sat in the waiting room flipping through a magazine that was at least three months old. He glanced at his watch. Pepper had been in the delivery room for about an hour already and he hadn't heard any news yet. His eyes kept drifting anxiously towards the door, expecting Tony to burst through them at any given moment. He forced himself to look at the magazine again, at all of the men and women who seemed too perfect to be real. His eyes lingered on a photo of two people on the beach, holding hands. Their smiles were bright, too bright and something about them seemed stretched out and forced. He sighed and put the magazine back on the table where he found it. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and stared at it for a moment. Loki had called him back again, this time, he left him a message. He pressed the call button and put the phone up to his ear. He felt himself smiling when he heard Loki's voice.

"I absolutely detest leaving voicemails, but, since you seem to be ignoring my calls, I thought I would leave you a message. Perhaps it slipped your mind that we were meeting for lunch? I just wanted to make sure that you were all right. Er, I really do hate these things. Bye."

"Shit," Steve said softly. He was supposed to meet Loki for lunch. His finger hovered over the call button for a few moments.

The double doors to the waiting room slammed open dramatically and Tony Stark swooped into the room wearing a very expensive looking suit. His sunglasses were perched on his head and he almost walked straight past Steve.

Steve shook his head and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He would call Loki later.

"Stark," he said.

Tony looked around as though he had heard the buzzing of a bee. When he saw Steve his expression brightened. "Rogers, you're a sight for sore eyes. Where is my lovely wife?" he asked.

"She's in the delivery room," Steve said.

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," Tony said.

"She's been asking for you," Steve said.

Tony grinned. "Well in that case, I shall oblige," he said. He walked into the adjoining room, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts and his old magazines. He pulled out the phone once more and this time wasted no time in calling Loki. The phone rang three times and then he heard a soft click.

"Hello?" said Loki.

Steve felt a strange lump in his throat.

"Hello?" Loki said again.

Steve found his voice. "Loki," he said.

"Steve, are you alright?" Loki asked, sounding concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm so sorry I forgot about our lunch date," he said.

"It's fine, where are you, you sound a bit muffled," Loki said.

"Oh, I'm at the hospital," Steve said.

"I thought you said you were fine," Loki said.

" _I_ am. I was visiting Pepper and she went into labor," Steve explained.

"I was not aware that she was with child," Loki said.

"Yep...well, Tony just got here so..."

"Do you need anything?" Loki asked.

"No, no I'm fine, I'm really sorry I forgot about lunch," Steve said.

"Do not worry yourself. Of course, Mrs. Stark takes preference," Loki said.

There was an awkward pause.

"Well ah, I don't think I'm supposed to use phones in here so I'll call you back later?" Steve said.

"Yes, that sounds fine," Loki said.

There was another pause and Steve wished he could fill the space.

Loki finally broke the silence. "Well, I'll speak to you later, call me if you need anything," he said.

"I will, bye."

"I'm sorry, were you just speaking to  _Loki_?" Tony asked.

Steve jumped and his phone almost slipped out of his hand. "Jesus Christ, Tony, I thought you were inside with Pepper," Steve said.

"I was, but I came back out to let you know you could go home if you wanted to," Tony said.

"Well, don't sneak up on people like that."

"I've been spending more time with Natasha. I guess she's rubbing off on me," he mused.

Steve shook his head. "How come there is no one else on this floor?" Steve asked looking around.

"I bought it," Tony said simply.

"You bought the floor?" Steve asked.

"No dummy, the hospital, why would I buy just one floor?" Tony asked.

"How's Pepper?" Steve asked.

"She's fine, contractions are...coming along nicely," Tony said.

"Nicely?"

Tony shrugged. "According to schedule?"

"You're hopeless."

"So. Loki."

Steve looked away. He fiddled with his cell phone and did not respond.

"Well?" Tony asked.

"There's nothing to tell," Steve said.

Tony's eyebrows lifted quickly and then went back down.

"Are you sure? You're doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"That thing. You know, when you don't want to tell me something, that thing," Tony said.

"I don't do a thing," Steve said.

"Oh but you're doing it, you're doing the thing, you always do the thing. Stop doing the thing, Steve, and just tell me what's going on,"Tony said.

"Oh my God, how in the world does Pepper put up with you?" Steve asked, going red in the face.

"I put a bun in the oven, that's how I-"

"Okay, okay if I tell you will you stop talking?" Steve asked.

Tony grinned like a cheshire cat. "Scout's honor," he said making a mock salute.

Steve rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Loki and I babysat Pru for a few days while Thor went to Asgard," Steve began.

Tony adjusted himself to a more comfortable position.

"We...I don't know...we connected, Loki and I, and we've been...talking," Steve said awkwardly.

"Talking about what?" Tony asked.

"I like him," Steve blurted out.

Tony observed Steve for a few moments. "You mean, like...like him like him?" he asked.

Steve looked down at his hands. "I think so," he said softly.

"Well, I did not expect this," Tony said. He sat back on the chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"You think it's a bad idea, don't you," Steve said.

"I didn't say that," Tony said.

"You didn't have to," Steve said.

"Look, Loki...did what he did, and supposedly, he's repented, right? He said I'm sorry for fucking up your planet or whatever, so who am I to judge?" Tony said.

Steve looked at him. "What?"

"I don't know who he is now. Is he the same person as the last time we met him?"

"There's a lot more to him that we...than we saw the last time," Steve said.

Tony sighed.

"Cap, you're a grown man, you're old actually, really old. Look I can't tell you who to date, what I can tell you, as a friend, is to be careful, we all saw what he did, we know what he's capable of. Don't underestimate him simply because he doesn't have his powers. He was called silver tongue, back on Asgard, you do know that, right?" Tony asked.

Steve nodded. "I know, a part of me feels like this is a bad idea, like the whole thing is just...crazy. But the other part of me just...wants to get to know him better, and the time I've spent with him has been...good...and I'm going to stop now because I feel like a 15 year old girl," Steve said with a short laugh.

Tony smiled at him. "You know if anything, I figured you'd tell us one day that you were dating Thor," Tony said.

Steve's eyes widened. "What? Why? Pepper said the same thing," Steve said.

"Well I mean you two spent so much time together," Tony said.

"So did you and Bruce!" Steve said indignantly.

"That's true..." Tony said his voice trailing off.

"Tony, your support means the world to me," Steve said. "And I never thought I would hear myself saying that in a million years," he said with a laugh.

"We had a rough start, I know, but I've come to admire you, Cap. And I consider you a good friend," Tony said.  
Steve smiled.

"So tell me, does he give the name silver tongue justice?" Tony asked with a wicked grin.

"Shut up, Stark," Steve growled.

* * *

Steve wasn't sure what to do with himself. Pepper had given him her blessing to leave the hospital and go apologize to Loki in person for missing their lunch date. He was a block away from Loki's building and he was clutching his second bundle of flowers for the day. He walked up the steps and hit the buzzer.

"Who is it?" Loki asked through the speaker.

Steve masked his voice. "Delivery for Mr. Laufeyson," he said.

"Oh, please do come up, 2A," Loki said.

The door buzzed and Steve entered the building. He took the steps up two at a time, his heart racing in his chest. He rapped on Loki's door and waited patiently for him to unlock it.

When Loki opened the door, he had a bored expression on his face.

Steve moved the flowers from in front of his face and saw Loki's mouth break into a pleasantly surprised smile.

"Mr. Rogers," he said.

"Mr. Laufeyson," Steve said.

Steve offered the flowers to Loki. "These are my, 'I'm really fucking sorry', flowers," he said.

Loki grinned but did not take them. "And why should I take them?" he asked.

"Because I'm stupid," Steve said.

"No you're not," Loki said.

Steve shook his head. "No, I am. I..."

Loki leaned forward and silenced Steve with a well placed kiss on the lips. When they broke apart, Loki smiled at him. "No one ever said this was going to be easy. You're allowed to have doubts, Steve," Loki said gently.

"How did you..."

Loki shook his head. "That's not important. What's important is that you're here now. Look, Steve I...I know I'm the last person in the world who has the right to...make requests, but I need to know if all those things you said to me were true...if you feel like you can't do this, I'd rather end it now, instead of getting hurt down the line," Loki said. His green eyes shimmered and looked almost as though they were pleading with Steve to stay.

Steve looked at Loki and thought about how he felt when he saw him as a Jotunn for the first time. He remembered everything Loki told him about growing up on Asgard, he remembered seeing Loki sitting on the bathroom floor, crying. He knew suddenly in that moment that he could not bear to be another failure in Loki's life. He could not abandon him like everyone else had done. Steve looked up into Loki's green eyes and smiled.

"What do you want for dinner?" he asked.

Loki's expression softened and he took the flowers from Steve's hand. He turned around and allowed Steve to enter the apartment behind him.

"How did you know I like roses?" Loki asked.

Steve grinned. "Lucky guess."

Loki walked off in the direction of the kitchen.

Steve stood in the living room wordlessly and watched Loki walk away from him.

"Chinese!" Loki shouted suddenly from the kitchen. "And do remember to get me an eggroll this time!" he shouted.

Steve laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUZZZAHHHHH a chapter. I've been writing this for days, lol. NaNoWriMo is KILLING ME. I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT SO MANY ZOMBIES IN THE PAST THREE WEEKS EHERRMAGERD. 
> 
> I was really missing Loki and Steve from my life so I decided to just buckle down and finish this chapter and move on, lol. Now it's time for more NaNo, yay, exciting -_-
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the long wait.


	17. The Lunch Date at Stark Tower

Loki fidgeted nervously in the spacious, silver elevator. He did not know what made him more nervous, the fact that he was back in Stark Tower, heading for the same place where he had been captured, or that he was back in Stark Tower to see the child who had been named after a man he had murdered. He glanced over to Steve whose facial expression was unreadable. Loki's eyes flickered back to the screen on the wall that indicated that they were currently zooming past the 50th floor of the glass tower.

"You think this is a bad idea," Loki said.

Steve looked over at him. "No, I mean…Pepper said it was okay for you to come by," Steve replied.

Loki glanced at the monitor, 74th floor. "I can always go back and wait for you outside if this is too strange," he pressed.

Steve turned to him. "Are you sure  _you're_ okay with this?" he asked.

Loki plastered a smile onto his face. "Of course I'm fine," he lied.

Steve observed him, unsatisfied. "I don't know if I believe you," he said finally.

Loki took Steve's hand in his own and pulled him close. "I'm fine, Rogers," he said with a small smile. He kissed Steve softly and inhaled the smell of him.

The elevator made a small ding and they quickly pulled apart. The doors slid open noiselessly.

Steve took a step forward, but before he crossed the threshold he grabbed onto Loki's hand.

"What are you doing?" Loki whispered.

Steve smiled at him and gently pulled him into Tony and Pepper's large, sprawling apartment.

"I should know my way around," Loki said sarcastically.

Steve chuckled. "Oh yeah, I forgot you've been here before," he said.

"Yes, on completely different business," he said.

Music played softly from speakers that neither Steve nor Loki could see. It was a woman's voice, sweet and clear, backed by a simple guitar. It seemed to fit the bright sunlight that streamed through the large panes of glass, but when Steve listened to what the woman was singing, he found that the words were actually sadder than the song sounded.

Tony walked out of one of the rooms with his arms outstretched. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Welcome," he said.

Steve smiled and hugged Tony. "Congratulations," he said.

Tony thumped him on the back. "Thank you, sir," he said.

Tony then turned to Loki and they stared at each other awkwardly.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stark," Loki said. He offered his hand and Tony's eyes flickered between Steve and Loki for a mere second.

He smiled at Loki and took his outstretched hand. He shook it lightly. "Please, call me Tony," he said.

Steve pointed to the ceiling. "Who is this, I really like this song," he said.

Tony scrunched up his face. "Something Pepper made me put on, you'll have to ask her," he said.

"It's The Sundays, and Steve thank you so much for coming!" Pepper squealed.

She came towards him with a small bundle in her arms. Pepper looked down at the little baby in her arms and cooed at him. She presented the baby to Steve and Loki and smiled.

"Guys, meet the newest addition to the family, Phillip Anthony Stark," she said.

"He's adorable," Steve said.

Loki could not help but smile at the little, chubby baby. "He is quite handsome, congratulations," he said graciously.

Pepper looked up at Loki, almost as though she hadn't realized this entire time that he had been standing there.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile. "Would you like to hold him?" she asked gently.

Steve chewed on his lip when he realized that Pepper was addressing Loki and not him. He exchanged a quick look with Tony who had an equally puzzled expression on his face.

"Me?" Loki asked with a small chuckle.

"Yes," Pepper said.

"I shouldn't, I'm not too good with children," Loki said with an awkward smile.

Pepper grinned. "That's not what I heard," she said.

Loki's face turned scarlet and he shot a glance at Steve who quickly looked away.

Pepper gently transferred the child into Loki's arms and she watched him carefully as he held the baby.

Loki adjusted himself and held onto the little creature that seemed so small in his arms. He smiled down at him. He had Tony's eyes and Pepper's mouth. He was not sure about the nose. And he had a full head of messy, brown hair.

"Phillip, little Phillip," Loki said. "It's a good name, a strong name," he said.

Steve watched Loki and felt something swell in his chest, something that he was not quite sure of.

Pepper walked over to him just as a new song drifted into the room. She hooked her arm with his and smiled.

"What is this one?" he asked.

She laughed. "Sigur Ros, I'll just burn you a CD," she said.

"I guess I'll get us some drinks?" Tony asked.

"Coffee for everyone?" Pepper asked.

"That's good for me," Steve said.

"That's also fine for me," Loki said. He hadn't taken his eyes off the little baby in his arms and he brought his finger up to little Phillip's nose.

"I didn't think he would come," Pepper whispered. Her eyes followed Tony as he walked over to the kitchen to get the coffee.

"I didn't either," Steve whispered back.

"Well I'm glad he did. It seems he's taking quite a liking to little Phil," she whispered.

Steve turned to Pepper and took her hands in his own.

"Thank you, Pepper," he said.

"For what? For being a decent human being?" she asked.

He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Yes. You don't find people like you anymore," he said.

* * *

Pepper, Tony, Loki and Steve all sat around the small table finishing up their lunch. Steve regaled everyone with stories of Pru and all the naughty things she had done while he and Loki had babysat her. Loki had finally crawled a little further out of his shell and had told them some work stories, students running in two minutes before class ended with their paper in their hands, the one time when he explained an assignment and someone raised their hand an asked him the exact same questions he had answered only moments before. Tony and Pepper laughed along with Steve, genuine laughter, not forced or polite, and there was no sweeter sound to Steve's ears.

The baby monitor made a static sound and then Phillip began to cry.

"The baby has awakened," said JARVIS.

"Yeah, we got that JARV," Tony said.

Pepper got up and smiled. "I'll be back," she said.

Steve got up as well. "I'm going to use the restroom," he said.

Loki awkwardly adjusted himself in the chair and watched as Steve walked away. He picked up his wine glass and took a long sip.

"Refill?" Tony asked.

Loki shrugged. "Why not," he said. He offered his glass to Tony and watched as he filled it up again.

"The last time you were here you didn't want my alcohol," Tony said with a laugh.

"Yes, I know," Loki said.

"What are your intentions?" Tony asked, sitting up.

"I'm sorry, my what?" Loki asked.

"Your intentions, with Steve, I mean," he said.

"I…I suppose I don't really know. We're taking things one step at a time," he explained.

"Look, Steve is one of the best men I know. If you hurt him…" Tony threatened.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Loki said.

"How do you know that?" Tony countered.

"Because I love him," Loki spat.

Tony's mouth opened but no words came out. "You…you do?" he asked.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"Does he know?" Tony asked with a small smile.

Loki shook his head. "I haven't…said anything. I feel it's a bit too early…I may scare him away," he said with a small chuckle.

Tony allowed himself to relax back into his seat and he took a sip of his wine.

"Look, none of us are perfect, and you don't exactly have the best track record here so forgive me if I'm not as welcoming and trusting as Pepper is," he said.

"That is understood," Loki said. "But you must know, I mean Steve no harm. I truly care for him, I don't want to hurt him," he said.

Tony observed Loki. "I hope for your sake you're telling the truth," he said.

Steve returned from his trip to the bathroom and sat next to Loki. He smiled at him and rubbed his hand on his leg. "You okay?" he asked.

Loki put yet another strained smile onto his face. "Yes of course," he said. He picked up his wine glass and took another large gulp. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

* * *

Steve and Loki stood before the elevator, hand in hand.

"I hope those things we got will fit him," Steve said.

Pepper smiled. "I'm sure they will," she assured him. She walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much for coming," she said.

Steve hugged her back. "You know I'm always here for you," he said.

She pulled away from him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

She moved over to Loki and hugged him as well.

He returned the hug awkwardly.

"Thank you for coming, Loki," she said.

"Thank you for having me," he said with a small smile.

Tony reached forward and shook Steve's hand.

"Don't be a stranger," he said.

Steve grinned. "I won't," he said.

Tony looked at Loki and extended his hand to him. "Loki. It was nice chatting with you," he said.

Loki nodded and firmly gripped Tony's hand. "Same here, Tony," he said.

They regarded each other for a moment and then they let go of each other's hands.

"Alright, we should get going. We'll see you guys soon, you're coming to our summer thing, right?" Steve asked.

"Of course!" Pepper said.

"Alright, good night guys," Steve said.

"Good night!" Tony and Pepper said in unison.

Steve and Loki stepped into the elevator and the silver doors slid noiselessly closed.

Steve let out a sigh of relief. "Well that went well," he said.

"You thought it wouldn't?" Loki asked with a grin.

"Tony can be…kind of an asshole sometimes so I was worried that he would…say something to you. He didn't say anything to you, did he?" Steve asked. His eyes narrowed on Loki's face.

Loki smiled at him and affectionately ran his fingers through Steve's hair.

"Your friends care for you deeply. They love you," Loki said.

"What makes you say that?" Steve asked.

Loki shrugged and smiled sweetly. "They just do," he said.

"I'm really glad you came," Steve said.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. They both strolled out, holding hands and walked through the main hall.

"I know it must have been difficult to be there…the memories…" Steve said.

"There are memories everywhere," Loki said. He stopped in the middle of the hall and stared into Steve's eyes. "The most important thing now, is that I get to make new ones, with you," he said.

Steve blushed and looked away.

"I'm serious, Steve. I don't think you know…how much…"

Steve looked up at him, his blue eyes wide and filled with nothing but love.

"You don't know how much you've done for me," Loki finished. He felt the words, burning him, stabbing him, sitting at the tip of his tongue just waiting to be said. He wanted to tell Steve how much he loved him but he was not sure if this was the time or the place.

Steve smiled at him. "I do know. And I hope I get some kind of compensation for reading all of those boring papers last night," he teased.

Loki shook his head and laughed. "That is the absolute extent of what you have done for me. If I didn't have you around to read papers I don't know what I would do. I would positively go mad," he joked.

Steve took his hand again and they walked out of the building together.

"You were positively mad before I even met you," Steve said with a laugh.

"Shut it, you," Loki said with a grin.

They walked out into the warm, New York evening, holding hands, with the setting sun behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Phillip! Guys, I think I'm in love with Pepper, she's so cool and gracious and everything I want to be in life. 
> 
> Tony is getting a little protective of Steve, but it's all good, we don't want Loki to hurt Steve! 
> 
> And Loki is in luuurve. Awww. 
> 
> Anyway, NaNoWriMo is OVER *praise the lord*
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!
> 
> Also, the songs I was listening to for this chapter were "Íllgresi" by Sigur Ros and "Here's Where The Story Ends" by The Sundays.


	18. The Sand Castle

Loki observed his niece as she dug a hole in the sand with a brightly colored shovel. She appeared to be enjoying it immensely. Her chubby legs were covered in sand.

"Sand everywhere," he muttered as he looked around at the other beachgoers.

Thor looked over at him and grinned. "Do you not just  _enjoy_  the beach, brother?" he boomed.

Loki made a face. "Of course not, I'm only here because Pru  _insisted_  that I come along," he snapped.

Thor laughed. "I'm sure there was another reason for you coming along," he said with a mischievous grin.

"And what would that be, I wonder?" Loki asked.

Thor squinted in the sunlight and pointed straight ahead at Steve who was jogging up the beach towards them. His body was covered in tiny droplets of water and they glistened in the sun.

"Seriously, brother, what's taking you so long to bed him?" Thor asked in a low voice. "Have you…lost your touch?" he asked with a grin.

Loki swatted at Thor with a rolled up magazine. "Shut up," he said.

Loki licked his lips as he watched Steve jog up to Pru.

"Has he turned you down?" Thor asked.

"I'm not going to discuss my sexual exploits with you, Thor," Loki whispered.

"Doesn't sound like there's much to tell anyway," Thor teased.

Loki sighed. "We haven't…had sex yet," he said with some difficulty.

"What are you waiting for? Ragnarök?"

Loki laughed. "He's never been with a man, before, Thor. We're taking things slow," Loki said.

"How Migardian of you," Thor snorted.

"Am I turning into one of them?" Loki asked in a horrified voice.

Thor laughed. "Perhaps the good Captain is having more of an effect on you than you realized," he said.

Loki chewed on this for a moment. "Perhaps…" he said.

"I am happy for you, brother," Thor said quietly.

Loki turned to Thor. "What for?" Loki asked.

"I'm happy that you…have found some joy on this planet, it has taken you long enough," he said.

"And what about you, you big oaf?" Loki asked.

Thor shrugged. "I don't know. I miss Jane, and I miss having Pru with me all the time. I don't know how Migardians separate so easily," he said.

"Perhaps you did not work hard enough to keep her," Loki said.

Thor sighed. "Perhaps," he said sadly.

Loki observed Steve as he helped Pru to build a sand castle. He couldn't help but notice how much Steve looked like a big child, playing in the sand.

"He's like a big child, honestly," Loki said.

Thor chuckled. "What is it about him that you like? Aside from the obvious," Thor said.

Loki laughed. "Well aside from that…he's a genuine person. I've come to learn that those are hard to come by," he said.

Thor nodded. "The captain has a good heart. I know that. Don't hurt him brother, or you'll have to answer to me," Thor warned.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Loki whined.

Thor clapped Loki on the shoulder. "You know I'm always on your side," he said.

Loki and Thor remained silent for a few moments.

"I still can't believe that you're a father," Loki said with a smirk.

"Why? You thought you would beat me to the finish line?" Thor asked.

"Well obviously not. It's just…strange. She's so much like you, do you know that?" Loki asked.

"How so?"

"She's stubborn. She's greedy, she packs quite a punch for one so young," Loki said.

Thor laughed. "Sometimes when I look at her, I see only her mother," Thor said.

Loki looked at Thor in disbelief. " _Where_?" he asked.

"Perhaps it's just my eyes playing a trick on me," Thor mused.

"I think so, brother. Gods, it's hot out here," Loki said.

"So why don't you go out into the water? That's the whole point of coming to the beach, Loki," Thor said.

Quite suddenly, Pru came running up to them.

"Papa! Ice cream!" she shouted.

Thor grinned at his girl and he rose up from his seat. He lifted Pru in one sweeping motion and placed her on his shoulders.

"We shall return shortly," Thor thundered.

Loki rolled his eyes and watched as Thor and Pru made their way a man who was pushing an ice cream cart a couple feet away. He looked down and realized that Steve was still building sandcastles. With a sigh, he rose up from his beach chair and made his way over to Steve.

"You seem to be enjoying this more than Pru," Loki remarked.

Steve looked up at him and grinned. He patted the sand and motioned for Loki to sit.

"Don't you want to help me build the castle?" Steve asked.

Loki reluctantly began to sculpt a wall to protect the small castle that Steve had been building.

"It's rather small, don't you think?" Loki asked.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You're calling my castle small?" he teased.

Loki picked up on Steve's train of thought and he shrugged. "Well, from what I've seen so far…it seems rather…petite," he said innocently.

"Well what about that so called wall you're building there? It doesn't seem big enough at all," Steve said with a grin.

"Well how big should the wall be?"

"Look, I can knock it down, so easily," Steve teased. He knocked down the piece of wall that Loki had built up with the flick of his wrist.

Loki grinned. "That's rude. I spent so much time building those up," he said.

Steve laughed.

"So, when will I get to see how big the castle really is?" Loki asked boldly.

Steve felt himself blushing. He chewed on his lip. He leaned close to Loki and placed his lips next to his ear. "Maybe if you play your cards right, soon," Steve whispered. He affectionately nibbled on Loki's ear and Loki groaned.

"Break it up you two," Thor boomed.

Pru came running towards them and immediately pushed her ice cream cone in Loki's face.

They all laughed as the ice cream smudged against Loki's nose and mouth.

"Now Pru, that's not nice," Thor scolded.

Pru frowned at her father.

"You should give Uncle Steve some ice cream too!" he said.

Pru giggled excitedly and toddled over to Steve where she proceeded to smear ice cream on his face.

Loki looked at Thor, then at Pru and then at Steve. He couldn't help but smile. Here he was, sitting on a beach, of all places, with his brother, his niece, and with a man that he was pretty sure he loved. He looked out at the horizon, at the thin line where the sea met the sky, and he suddenly knew in that moment, he was content.

* * *

Several hours later, a very sunburned Loki and Steve made their way back to Brooklyn. Loki dozed lightly in the passenger seat and Steve glanced at him when they stopped at a red light. Even in his sleep, he was graceful. Steve reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Loki's ear.

Loki twitched and his eyes opened. He looked around the car, confused for a moment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Steve said.

Loki rubbed his eyes and yawned. "It's fine," he said sleepily. "Are we almost at my place?" he asked.

Steve kept his eyes on the road. "Oh, no, I thought…you would maybe want to come over at my place for a bit," he said. He quickly glanced at Loki. "But if you want to go home, it's okay," he added.

"No, no, it's fine," Loki said awkwardly.

Steve fiddled around with the radio for a few moments until a lovely song filled the quietness in the car. "I can't believe Pru is going back home tomorrow," Steve said.

Loki sighed. "I feel as though the summer has just gone by in a blur," he said.

"Well that's what happens when you're—" Steve stopped himself.

"When you're what?" Loki asked.

Steve felt himself blushing again.

The soft sounds of a piano filtered through the speakers. A loud clap of thunder rumbled in the distance and the rain clouds that had been hovering over Brooklyn for the past hour finally burst.

Steve hit the button for the wipers and they began to move back and forth on the windscreen.

Loki reached over and turned the volume up on the radio.

"This is my favorite piece of classical music," Loki said softly.

Steve smiled softly. "I know," he said quietly.

They drove on for a few more minutes in the rain and then Steve slowed down. He pulled into a parking spot across the street from his house and he killed the engine.

"You want to wait for the rain to die down?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded. He unhooked his seatbelt and turned to face Steve. Before he could say anything, Steve had leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

Loki's breath hitched in his throat as he felt Steve's lips trail down his neck.

Steve gently grazed his teeth against Loki's skin and he flushed.

When they pulled away, Loki stared into Steve's eyes. There was something in there that hadn't been there before.

Steve grabbed Loki behind his neck and pulled him towards him.

"I want you to fuck me," he growled into Loki's ear.

"I thought you'd never ask," Loki growled back.

* * *

Inside, the both of them were soaking wet from running through the rain.

Steve has Loki pinned up against the wall in his bedroom. His hands ghost around Loki's crotch and the old God whines. Steve grinned wickedly and finally pulled the zipper down on Loki's pants.

Loki watched Steve as he slowly went down on his knees.

Steve looked up into Loki's eyes as he unbuttoned his pants. He then slowly pulled the jeans down Loki's legs and he laughed as he saw Loki's cock straining against his underwear.

Loki can barely think, or  _breathe_  when he feels Steve's mouth press up against his erection.

"Do you want me to…blow you?" Steve asked timidly.

Loki doesn't even know how to respond.

"I'll take that as a yes," Steve said with a shy grin. Steve hooked his thumbs on the elastic waist of Loki's underwear and slowly pulled them down. When they fell around his feet, Steve stared at Loki's cock. "I've never done this before," he said.

"I know, you don't have to," Loki said.

Steve smiled again and moved his head closer to Loki's cock, inspecting it.

"It's a little bigger than I thought it would be," he said mischievously.

Loki chuckled. He looked down at Steve's face and he knew that if he didn't have the self-control that he had, he would have come just by staring at Steve chewing on his bottom lip, observing Loki's cock like it was some kind of pastry behind a glass.

Steve put his hand on Loki's cock and stroked it gently.

Loki's heart was in his mouth as he felt Steve's fingertips dance around the head of his cock. "Oh Gods," Loki moaned.

Steve leaned forward and suddenly his mouth was  _everywhere_.

Loki threaded his fingers through Steve's hair and gave it a gentle tug. He allowed Steve to explore his cock thoroughly with his tongue and his mouth.

Steve pulled Loki's cock out of his mouth and he grinned up at Loki.

"I want you to fuck me," Steve said shyly.

Loki frowned. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Steve nodded. He rose up from his position on the ground and Loki proceeded to help him getting undressed.

Loki grabbed Steve's cock in his hand and gave it several powerful strokes. "You're not too shabby yourself, Captain," he whispered.

Steve laughed.

"Up against the wall,  _now,_ " Loki ordered.

Steve pressed himself against the wall and gasped when he felt Loki's finger enter him from behind.

"Do you have any lube?" he asked.

"Drawer, bedside table," Steve managed to choke out.

When Loki returned, he inserted two lubed fingers into Steve's hole, feeling him, stretching him.

Steve moaned as Loki inserted a third finger inside of him.

"Are you ready?" Loki asked.

Steve nodded, as he had suddenly become mute. He gasped as Loki's cock teased his hole.

"I'll go slow," Loki said.

Steve nodded again and braced against the wall.

Loki's cock entered him and he moaned. He felt Loki's dick, much bigger than the three fingers, stretching him, and he pushed himself back onto the God.

Loki continued to slowly push himself into Steve.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Loki, now fuck me, God Damnit!" Steve said.

Loki growled and roughly pushed the rest of his cock into Steve's ass.

Steve gasped out loud and closed his eyes. He felt Loki's hand on his cock and he thought his head would explode.

Loki continued to thrust into Steve and he grunted and groaned with every push.

Steve reached down and touched Loki's hand on his cock.

Loki growled and sunk his teeth into the flesh on Steve's shoulder.

Steve cried out as he began to come and he almost wept as Loki sucked on his neck. He knew that would leave a mark.

A few moments later, Loki thrusted into Steve and groaned loudly as he spilled his release inside of the Captain.

They both remained there for a moment, hearts beating wildly and sweat dripping down their bodies.

Loki pulled himself out of Steve and chuckled. "No more castle jokes," he said.

Steve grinned and kissed Loki.

A little while later, they both lay on Steve's bed, snuggled beneath his covers. Steve had buried himself in the nook of Loki's arm, still a little shocked at what he had just done.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice something," he mused.

"What is that?" Loki asked.

Steve laughed and Loki felt his warm breath against his skin. "My castle is bigger than yours," he said.

"You little shit," Loki said. "I should fuck you again for saying that," he teased.

Steve laughed. "Don't tempt me," he said.

"It's not about how big the castle is, it's about how you use it," Loki said in a dignified voice.

Steve chuckled and snuggled up against Loki. He eventually drifted off…comforted by the sound of the rain falling outside the window, and the sound of Loki's heart beating in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. So, I have had the most redic. writer's block since I wrote the last chapter. I don't know how many documents I've opened trying to write this chapter during the last couple of weeks. 
> 
> Anyway, cute bro moments with Thor and Loki! Cute moments on the beach with Steve and Loki. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for my bad smut. I'm horrible at it but I thought it was about damn time that they banged so THERE lol. 
> 
> I have the flu so this chapter was written under the influence of Nyquil. Woo Hoo!
> 
> Happy New Year!!!!!


	19. The Birthday

"What do you mean he  _doesn't_  know today is your birthday?" Chandra asked angrily.

Loki grimaced and took a sip of his tea. "I didn't tell him," he said with a resigned sigh.

"Why  _not_?" she asked. She picked up a fry and dipped it in a blob of ketchup.

Loki shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "I don't know, honestly," he said.

Chandra shook her head. "You're missing out," she said.

"On what, pray tell?" he asked with a small smile.

"Uh, hello, gifts, delicious food cooked by your amazing boyfriend,  _birthday sex_!" she said in a low whisper.

Loki rolled his eyes. "I've just never been a big fan of birthdays," he said unenthusiastically.

Chandra shook her head disapprovingly. "I'm disappointed. How is he supposed to get to know you better if you don't tell him these things?" she asked.

"Why does it matter?" he asked.

"It's your birthday. Think about it, if was  _his_  birthday, wouldn't you want to do something nice for him? Something he would appreciate? Don't you think he deserves the chance to do the same for you?"

Loki made a face. "Well when you put it like that…" he said.

"You are impossible. Look, I know it's hard, putting yourself out there, but if this guy is as amazing as you say he is, then I think he deserves to know," she said.

"But how exactly does one do this…tactfully? Am I supposed to walk up to him and say, by the way, today is my birthday, sorry I didn't tell you earlier," he said sarcastically.

Chandra laughed. "Now that is something I didn't consider," she admitted.

Loki sighed and shrugged. "What can I do? There's always next year," he said sadly.

Chandra observed him sadly and shook her head. "There's always that."

She picked up a fry and threw it at him.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Just because," she said with a laugh.

He shook his head and continued to eat his sandwich.

* * *

Loki and Chandra entered their office, laughing at something she had said. Loki stopped short when he saw a bouquet of white and purple irises on his desk.

"Chandra, did you…"

She came out from behind him and grinned. "Nope," she said. She walked up to his desk and picked up a card. She handed it to him. "It seems you have a secret admirer," she teased.

Loki accepted the card and flipped it open.

  
_Happy Birthday!_  
La Lune, 600 Vanderbilt Avenue  
Reservations at 8:00 pm

"What does it say?" she asked from her desk.

Loki smiled. "It's a…dinner reservation," he said, still confused.

Chandra walked over to him and looked at the card. "Is it from your boo?!" she squealed.

"My what?" he asked.

Chandra laughed. "Your boyfriend," she explained.

Loki blushed. "Oh, yes I think so," he said.

"Oh my God! How did he know?!" she asked.

Loki shrugged. "I have no idea, actually," he said.

"Are you sure it's from him and not some cornball from down the hall?" she asked.

Loki laughed. "Well, for one this is Steve's handwriting," he said. He reached out and gently caressed the flowers. A small smile bloomed on his lips again. "He remembered…" he said softly.

"Remembered what?" she asked.

"I…had a garden, where I used to live, and my favorite flowers were these purple and white ones…something I mentioned to him ages ago. I just can't believe that he remembered something so small," he said.

Chandra reached up and squeezed Loki's shoulder. "When will you realize that it's the small things that matter, Liam? Not the…grand gestures or the expensive gifts, it's just…knowing that there's someone who cares for you enough to send you flowers on your birthday. Even though it's a little weird to get flowers from a guy," she said.

Loki chuckled. "Is it a strange tradition?" he asked.

Chandra made a face. "Yeah, it is, but it's sweet," she said. "So, when do I get to meet this mysterious Steve who has you so completely smitten?" she asked walking over to her desk.

"I'll organize something, dinner, perhaps," he said.

"That sounds wonderful," she said.

"I have a class to go teach," he said with a smile.

She waved him away. "Enjoy," she said.

* * *

As Loki watched his last few students shuffle out of his classroom, he pulled out his cell phone and saw that he had several new voicemails. He pressed the call button and sat back to listen to the voicemails.

"Hi Loki, this is Pepper, um, oh and Phillip, we were just calling to say Happy Birthday. We didn't know that today was your birthday and Steve just told me, so, I thought I would give you a call. Anyway, I hope you're doing well and I hope your day was special. Oh, Phillip has something he wants to say too, hey you little pumpkin, tell uncle Loki happy birthday!" she said. The baby gurgled and then he began to cry. "Ok, ok, ok Loki, I gotta go, hope to see you soon, bye!"

Loki smiled and shook his head. He pressed the key to listen to the next message.

"Brother! I was hoping I would get a chance to see you today but alas, I will see you over the weekend. Happy Birthday, brother. I wish we were home where we could go hunt for our dinner and have a feast, perhaps someday we will reunite on the golden shores of our beloved home."

Loki rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

"I love you, brother, happy birthday."

Loki felt his eyes sting and his throat tightened. His phone beeped and he saw that he had a new video message. He pressed the play button and his heart was suddenly in his throat – it was Pru.

She was grinning at the camera and reached forward to grab it from whoever was holding it.

"Pru, stop it, now wish your uncle a happy birthday," said Jane.

Pru giggled. "Hap Birdayyy Onco Loki!" she said.

"Send him a kiss," Jane said.

Pru kissed her palm and waved it towards the camera. "Momma give me phone!" she said before erupting into a violent fit of coughs.

Loki heard Jane sigh. "Happy Birthday!" she said loudly before stopping the video.

Loki shook his head and went back to his voicemails.

"Hey Loki, sorry didn't get a chance to call you earlier, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday and I can't wait to see you later," Steve said.

Loki felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest and he chewed on his lip. He hit the end button and glanced at the time. It was already six thirty. He gathered his things and headed out of the classroom.

* * *

Loki arrived at La Lune and saw that it was a very small restaurant on a corner. He fixed his scarf that kept the cool fall chill away from his neck and he walked towards the door. He saw that there was a sign on the door that said: " _Closed For A Private Event Tonight, We Apologize For the Inconvenience!"_

Loki frowned and pulled the door open. When he entered the restaurant, he squinted in the dim lights. All of the tables were covered in candles and soft music played from speakers he couldn't see.

Steve was sitting at a small table in the middle and when he saw Loki he got up and smiled.

Even in the dim lights, Loki could see that Steve was blushing.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly. He pulled Loki into an embrace and kissed him on the lips.

Loki broke the kiss and placed his hands on Steve's shoulders. "You really didn't have to do all of this, I can only imagine what it must have cost…" he said looking around.

Steve grinned. "Don't worry about that, sit," he said.

Loki pulled a chair and sat down.

Steve sat down across from him.

A waitress emerged from the kitchen and placed a tray down before them. "Enjoy," she said with a smile.

"Dig in," Steve said.

Loki hesitantly picked up a chip with his fingers. He dipped it in some guacamole and bit into it.

"Hands down, the best guacamole in Brooklyn," Steve said.

Loki smiled and nodded. "I'll have to agree with you on that one," he said as he stuffed another chip into his mouth.

"Did you get the flowers?" Steve asked.

Loki nodded. "I did, they're beautiful," he said.

They continued to eat their appetizers until their meals came out from the kitchen. They ate, drank wine, talked and laughed. When the waitress cleared out their dishes, she brought back a small chocolate cake with a question mark candle stuck right in the middle.

Loki laughed at this. "How did you know?" he asked before he blew out the candle.

Steve grinned. "Thor told me," he said sheepishly.

"Figures," he muttered. He took a deep breath and leaned forward to blow out the flame.

"Wait, did you make a wish?" Steve asked.

Loki looked up at him and shook his head. "Am I supposed to?" he asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, you make a wish and then you blow out the candle. But you can't tell me what it is, otherwise it won't come true," he said.

Loki shook his head. "You Migardians are quite strange," he said with a small smile. Still, he closed his eyes, made a wish and then blew out the candle.

Steve grinned. "Look who's talking," he said as he handed Loki a knife to cut the cake.

Steve scooped some cake onto his fork and leaned over to feed Loki.

Loki closed his eyes and moaned softly. "This is the best cake I've ever tasted," he said.

Steve chuckled. "Of course it is," he said as he ate some cake.

Loki grabbed a fork and dug into his own slice. Loki looked at Steve for a moment and smiled. "This was perfect, Steve. Thank you," he said.

"Better than your crazy Asgardian birthday celebrations?" Steve asked with a smile.

Loki nodded. "Infinitely better," he said.

"Well it's not over," he said as he rose up from his seat.

Loki frowned. "There's more?" he asked as he stuffed some of the delicious chocolate cake into his mouth.

"There's always more," Steve said.

"But…cake," he said sadly.

Steve laughed. "We can take the cake to go, babe," he said as he slipped on his jacket.

Loki sighed and stuffed some more cake into his mouth. "Fine, because this is delicious," he said.

* * *

Steve and Loki pulled up to a small building nestled somewhere in Brooklyn on a beautiful tree-lined block. When Steve opened the door he flicked a light switch and it was revealed to be a small studio. There were canvasses and splotches of paint everywhere. There was a metallic smell in the air.

"What is this?" Loki asked.

Steve grinned. "Where I've been disappearing to for the past few months," he said.

He walked over to a painting that was mounted on the wall but covered with a bit of cloth. "I've been working on this for a while and I decided that it would be the best gift to give you for your birthday," he explained.

Loki stopped in front of the painting and looked at Steve expectantly.

"Also, I hope it's accurate, I mean, I did the best I could," he gushed.

Loki shook his head. "I'm sure it's beautiful," he said reassuringly.

Steve carefully removed the cloth from the painting and Loki stepped back and gasped. He blinked back tears and then he looked at Steve. "How?" he asked.

He stepped closer to the painting to observe it.

Steve ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I went on that little sketch you gave me that night…when I asked you to draw me a layout of your garden?" he said sheepishly.

"But it's so…detailed, how could you possibly have done all of this?" he asked.

"I had a little help from Thor," Steve admitted.

Loki turned to Steve and pulled him in for a kiss. When they broke apart, Loki's eyes were filled with tears. "This is the most beautiful…gift…I have ever received," he said softly.

Steve nuzzled Loki's neck. "I'm glad you like it," he said.

"No Steve, I don't like it…I love it," he said.

Steve pulled back and looked into Loki's eyes.

Loki felt the words there, hovering between them in the air, begging to be said. Loki licked his lips.

"Steve I…I love you," he said softly.

Steve felt his heart leap into his throat and he smiled. "I love you too," he said softly.

Loki felt himself finally breaking down and he buried his head in Steve's neck.

Steve pulled him in close to him and hugged him to his chest and he allowed Loki to cry. It felt strange to have this old God who had seen countless ages pass before his eyes, simply fall to pieces in his arms.

He hugged him tighter and promised to himself that he would never let him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've missed my boys so I've been working on this chapter for a few days! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :) I was going to add a little booty scene towards the end, but I decided to leave it as a little moment of feels, because I totally had feels while I was writing it.
> 
> Songs I listened to over and over for this chapter: "Angels" The XX and "Never Let Me Go" Florence and the Machine.
> 
> Let me know what you think! Also, I think I'll be finishing this story soon! Probably 3 more chapters or so. 
> 
> :)


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